Snow Angels
by DeisuiNeko
Summary: The Fourth Shinobi War has been over for more than 2 years and now it is the holiday season and Naruto is not looking forward to yet another year alone especially now that Sakura and Sasuke are an item. Will a certain pale-eyed girl be able to save him from his self-destructive path before it is too late?
1. Snow Angels

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**This is my first story submission. After reading other entries for some time I thought that I would write down a story idea that has been floating around in my head recently. Reviews will be appreciated, but I ask that you be respectful since this is my first attempt at writing.**

This time of year had always been hard for Naruto who grew up without knowing his parents. Most years he would just go out to the training grounds till he was nearly too exhausted to walk home and try and sleep in the next day as late as he could. Some years though the loneliness would be too much and he could not sleep so he would go out and wander the streets and even peek in on his friends watching them with their families and trying to imagine what it must feel like to be with family on Christmas morning.

The three years he had spent away from the village training with Jiraiya had been the best because the old pervert had made him feel like he was part of a family for the first time in his life. He would put off researching for the day and the two would train together, or just indulge themselves at a hot spring. Though he would go to bed each of those nights wondering how a certain young girl was doing and what presents she might be getting this year.

This year was going to be different, Jiraiya was dead,the Fourth Shinobi War and the year-ling chaos resulting afterwards was finally over and everyone seemed ready for some celebration. To add to his trouble the girl he had spent all those years thinking about had finally gotten her wish and she was dating Sasuke. He had done his best to hide his breaking heart when after the war was declared officially over and his two teammates had embraced. He went over and wrapped an arm around each other them and gave them a great big smile and welcomed Sasuke back, but the whole time his heart was screaming so loud that Kurama had threatened to take over and tell her just how hurt seeing them together really made him feel.

Afterwards he had taken as many missions he could that would not involve his old team just so that he would not have to die a little each day watching how happy she was without him, but now he was between missions and granny Tsunade refused to let him go on another mission till he had spent some down time. She had said that his performance had become reckless, even for him, in the last few months and she was worried that he needed some time to get his head on straight.

So here he was walking the streets alone the day before Christmas Eve and even though it was lunchtime the thought of Ichraku's ramen could not bolster his spirits, but his feet took him there out of habit while his mind was focused on things of the heart. He was about to step through the curtain when he heard a familiar laugh that made his heart skip a beat, it was Sakura and she was eating at Ichiraku's shop. He was about to go through and talk to her just a little to make sure that she was okay when he heard Sasuke's voice asking her to eat out of her own bowl. He knew he could not face them, not now, and maybe never so he turned around quickly to walk away and bumped into someone knocking them to the snow covered ground.

"I am sorry, please let me help you up." He reaches down to help his victim up but was looking over his shoulder silently hoping that they would not hear the commotion and come to investigate. He turned back as the girl stood back up and found that his face was just inches away from a familiar pale-eyed blushing face. "Hinata? I am so sorry for knocking you down. I should have been paying better attention to where I was going. Are you okay?"

Hinata just nods her head ever so slightly. "I-I-I am alright, Naruto-kun. It was my fault really I saw you walking around earlier and was about to say hello when you turned around. I should not have gotten so close before I made my presence know." In fact Hinata had been following from a distance for a while now and had finally gotten enough courage to walk up to him when he made a sudden retreat from his favorite ramen shop. Hearing the familiar voices from inside she knew now why he had stopped from going inside and had tried to retreat. She had known about his heartbreak and saw the hurt in his eyes that day, but had lacked the courage to go to him and offer some friendly support. Afterwards when he spent most of his time away from the village the rumors had begun to spread on the real reason why the Hero of Konoha was never home and that he might become a hermit like Jiraiya and had given up on his pursuit of becoming Hokage. The rumors all seemed to center on the head of one pink-haired girl with green eyes.

Tenten had told her on a recent mission that she had shared with Naruto that the boy had charged into a fight with bandits like a man without any care of whether he survived. He came out of the fight covered in as much of his own blood as the bandits and he just stood there looking like a feral creature looking for new prey. His training had become more intense as well and had ended up in the hospital for nearly a week in Sanu when he and the Gaara the Kazekage. They had done some intense sparing and had gotten out of hand when he had lost control. The rumors were that he had somehow broken through Gaara's defense and broke Gaara's arm, but nearly killing himself in the attempt. That was when the Hokage had called him home for some cooling down. He father had told her that the council was becoming worried about his state of mind and whether they might have to reseal the Kyubi inside of him just in case he lost complete control and destroyed the village. A few hardliners wanted the Hokage to keep sending him on longer and longer missions in hopes that if he did lose control it would be far from the village, but she had refused all their requests and said that she would handle the matter. Hinata had been there with her father as part of her training to become the next head of the clan and could see the worry and concern that the Hokage had when the subject of Naruto had come before the council.

She saw the curtain begin to move and grabbed Naruto by the arm and dragged him down a nearby alley. At first he was going to protest but when he looked where her eyes were focused and who was starting to come out of the ramen shop he went numb and just allowed himself to be pulled along. After a few minutes of twists and turns down streets she stopped and leaned up against a wall to catch her breath.

"Hinata, thank you for getting me out of there before…" He shakes his head to clean his thoughts. "Why did you… "

She wanted to tell him that she knew, that they all knew why he has been gone from the village so much, and they were worried about him. She was worried about him, but as she looked into those blue eyes filled with such loneliness her heart began to drown and her old habit returned. "I-I-I just thought that you didn't look hungry and you might want to…" She began looking around desperately for something nearby and saw a shop that might work. "It has been so cold lately and I thought that you might need something warm to wear till spring." She realized how stupid she sounded and just hanged her head down in shame.

Seeing that she is doing her best to not point out the obvious reason, Naruto smiles for the first time in maybe a year and looks down at the Hyuga girl. "You know it has been really cold these last few nights so maybe I do not need something a little warmer. I'm not really good at shopping for clothes and stuff did you want to help me find something good to wear?" He was trying to be nice but in reality he hoped she would say no so he could just go back to his apartment and just sleep for a few days and then hopefully granny Tsunade would let him leave again, maybe on a longer mission this time.

Hinata looks up into his face and nods, "S-s-sure, I'll do my best." She didn't expect for him to say yes and now she was caught and had no idea what she was going to do or say, but she was going to do her best to help him, like he had done so many times for her in the past.

The two of them would have made a comical sight if any of their friends had seen them together, one full of self-doubt and the other self-destructive. They spent hours together looking at clothes and just wandered from store to store along the way and slowly as time wore on their conversation grew from just a word and a nod to nearly complete sentences. Before long the sun had begun to set and the snow began to fall in large fat flakes.

Naruto's stomach gave out a great growl of hunger and he blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, I forgot to eat lunch today and I guess it is catching up with me now. Would you like to get something to eat? It will be my treat for all the help you gave me today picking out my new gloves and scarf." He holds up his hands to show off his black and orange leather gloves and points at the matching wool scarf. He actually did feel hungry and hoped that she would say yes to having dinner together if for no other reason than not having to eat alone for a change.

They went to Ichiracu's for dinner and afterwards Naruto offered to walk her home. Her reply was interrupted by a snowball that nearly missed Naruto's head.

In the middle of the street were three figures; a boy wearing a long blue scarf, and girl with orange pig tails and another boy with brown hair and glasses. "You have been avoiding me for too long and now I challenge you to a ninja snowball fight to prove who's the best in the village. You may have won our last battle over 5 years ago, but I know a whole lot more than I did last time so prepare for your defeat." The other two kids nod their approval at their leaders challenge.

"Konohamaru normally I would love to get into a fight with you, but I'm just not feeling it tonight." His answer is a snowball to the face and the derisive laughter from the kids.

That was all it took to get Naruto going and he began flinging snowballs down field as fast has he could scoop up fresh snow. Releasing his pent up frustration felt good and the kids soon began to back down the street with Naruto on their heels. Hinata followed behind watching the joy come back into his sad blue eyes for the first time today. The kids finally stopped their retreat in the middle of the park.

Naruto stood up on a rock, held up a large snowball, and grinned down upon the three young shinobi. "Give it up Konohamaru you have lost, again." His smile fades when he sees that the three youth are laughing too.

"You fell into my trap Naruto and now you will taste defeat." The boy lets out a loud whistle and dozens of young shinobi step out from behind trees and rocks. "That's not all either sensei." He makes a hand sign and after a puff of smoke three Konohamaru shadow clones standing there beside the original. With that cue the other young shinobi use the clone jutsu with various success and within a few moments Naruto and Hinata are surrounded by over a hundred smiling genin.

Naruto begins to use his own shadow clone jutsu when he is hit in the face by dozens of snowballs interrupting his concentration. Just as he is about to completely lose his temper the wave of snowballs nearly ceases and as he digs the snow away from his eyes he can see that Hinata has activated her byakugan and is deflecting most of the icy missiles.

"Thank you Hinata-chan. Do you think you can keep that up for a little longer?" He has a nasty trick in mind for the mischievous genin and if she can hold out long enough to let him put it into action it will be epic.

She was so focused on what she was doing it took her a few moments to realize that he had said 'Hinata-chan' and not just her name. With that burst of happiness she doubled her efforts to protect him from further attack. She begins to whirl around him in a beautiful dance that makes many of the genin and their clones to stop and watch in awe at the beauty in motion. During her dance she takes a glance at Naruto and can see the tell-tail markings around his eyes that he has entered sage mode.

"MEGA-MULTI-SHADOW-CLONE JUTSU." Naruto's shout could be heard over half of the village as he used his sage mode to call upon thousands of shadow clones of himself and Hinata who began to rain down snowballs upon the quickly over matched genin till many of them were literally buried under a mound of icy missiles. They quickly ran out of show in the area and had some of the clones bring in armloads of more ammo from the tops of nearby houses and streets. The nearby security team came to see what the shouting was about, but quickly decided that they wanted no part of a ninja snowball fight and went in search of someplace warm to wait out the war unless innocent bystanders foolish enough to get too close were harmed.

It was finally over when Konohamaru held up his scarf on a stick to signal his surrender and Naruto walked forward and gave him a cheerful smile. "Nice trick and it would have worked had I not had a good partner backing me up." He puts his arm around a very red Hinata and they walk off together as some of the clones hold up long icicles to form and arch for the victors to walk under together.

As they walked Naruto began to snicker and then chuckle and before too long he began to laugh so hard that it took on a hysterical tone. Hinata at first was happy at hearing his laughter and even giggled along with him, but as he seemed to lose control she began to worry and pulled him into the playground and had him sit upon a bench. By this time the laughter had turned to tears and he began to cry opening letting the tears fall like drops of rain on the frozen ground. The laughter had finally cracked the dam he had built up over the last year around his heart and once he allowed one emotion to seep through the cracks the wall had broken and all those emotions came out in a torrent.

He had held in all his sadness and frustration for years back to the time when Sasuke got away. He had been too busy trying to get strong enough to save his friend and then save the village. Trying to stop the Akatsuki then the Fourth Shinobi War and then losing what had fought the hardest to protect. Running away from those emotions and venting his frustration against an enemy had been much easier than thinking about all he had done and sacrificed for nothing but a smile that said 'I'm sorry.' After all of the fights he had won and enemies he had defeated he finally found the one obstacle that he could not overcome no matter how hard he tried and left behind a wound deeper and greater than any kunai or jutsu. That one thing was the fickleness of a young girl's heart.

She had tried to talk to him once shortly after the war but he knew those green eyes better than his own soul and he could see what she was about to say and knew his heart would not be able to bear the burden of her confession. He had just laughed and said he was busy on an errand and had run away. He had kept running for more than a year till granny had made him come home and now he had nowhere to run but sit in his cage alone like a beast in the zoo. Kurama might have even been able to sympathize with how trapped he had been feeling since getting back if they had been on talking terms, but after a particularly nasty argument the great nine-tailed fox had gone deep within and only offered chakra when his host's life was in peril.

Hinata held him as he finally let out his emotions and said nothing while her own heart ached to see the one she loved crying over someone else. She guided his head to her lap where she gently stroked his hair like her mother had done to her when she was a small child. The motion must have been comforting to him as well because shortly after she began the sobbing stopped and she could hear his breathing take on a much deeper rhythm. She increased her chakra flow and wrapped her arms around the sleeping boy to keep him warm while he slept. She lost track of how long she held him and had even begun to doze herself when the sound of a loud bark woke both of them up and saw a large dog standing there wagging its tail. A few moments later Kiba walked to the entrance of the playground holding hands with Ino to see what Akamaru had found. They had been dating for a few months now and when their eyes locked with Hinata's and saw the slowly awakening Naruto they just smiled and walked away leaving them alone once more, Akamaru quickly following behind.

Naruto sat up little bleary-eyed and his face went pink when he realized where his head had just been. "Hinata I am sorry. I guess I have been working too hard lately and was exhausted. I am not normally like that so I hope you will forgive me for…"

She placed a warm hand on his cheek to stop his rambling. "It's okay Naruto-kun. You have always been there when I needed a little extra help and I am just glad to be here for you when you needed someone." She want to wrap her arms around him and lend him what little strength she had to support him, but fear of rejection held her at bay.

Changing the subject he looks about and feels to tug of a nearly forgotten memory. "It's funny us ending up here tonight. My only really happy memory of this time of year as a child was on this playground. It was Christmas Eve and all of the kids had gone home and it was snowing much like tonight and I remember sitting on the swing over there when a young girl so wrapped up so tightly she could barely move sat on the swing beside me and we did not saying anything for a long time till she asked me if I would like to make a snow angle. I did not know what she was talking about so she took me over to there where the snow was undisturbed and she made an angel in the snow, and I was so amazed that I made one right beside hers. We didn't get to talk much more because her mother showed up and I knew that it was over and her mother would get worried and say something about her not playing with me and then that would be the end." He hung his head down at the memory of so many times growing up being pushed to the side not knowing why he was being picked on by the adults and the other children.

"I started to walk away because I did not want to hear it again, but the little girl told her mother she made a friend today and the woman called me over. I was expecting to be yelled at or even physically attacked, but all she was not like that and to be honest you remind me a lot of that woman. She had a kind smile like yours Hinata and she reached into her shopping bag and gave me a box of candy and said…"

'Everyone deserves a gift at Christmas.' They both said in unison.

Naruto looked at Hinata all confused. "How did you know what she said to me Hinata?"

"That was my mother Naruto-kun. When I was younger I was so shy that the other kids would pick on me so my mother would bring me to the playground in the afternoons sometimes so that I could play in peace. That was the last Christmas before she died and my father took control of my daily upbringing afterwards and I was not allowed to go back to the playground since it took time away from my training."

Two of the mysteries of his childhood had been finally solved tonight because he had wondered for so many years what had happened to that little girl and her mother and why she had not kept her promise and come back and play again. It had been years later when they attended the ninja academy that she had seen him again and when he did not recognize her she was afraid he would be angry with her for not keeping her promise if she told him the truth that she had kept silent.

"For just for one moment I thought I knew what it felt like to have a parent and it wasn't until I went with pervy sage that I had that feeling again. It was nice to feel some kindness from a stranger for once in my life." He reached out and gave the surprised girl a warm hug trying to hide the tears that were threatening to come back. "You know I always considered that little girl my first friend."

"He was the first person I ever thought of as a friend too. The little boy on the playground never made fun of me or said an unkind word." That is when she fell in love with him, but it was not till later as she got to know him and watch him from afar that she knew how deeply meeting him that day affected her life. Hinata wrapped her arms around the person she had loved for most of her life. He had never even played a trick on her like he had so many of their other classmates and now at long last she was embrace in his arms. She let him hold her as long as she could without doing anything that might cause him to want to let go and go away. She was afraid that if he left the village again that he might never come back again.

He cleared his throat and looked at her with a genuine smile that touched his eyes. "I have an idea." He stands up and holds out his hand. "We made a promise as kids that we would meet here again and make snow angels. I think that we should finally fulfill that promise we made since it is my nindo to never go back on a promise."

Smiling she takes his hand and they walk over to where they had made angels as children and flop backwards into the snow and flap their arms and legs back and forth spreading out the white powder and leaving the image of an angel behind. He helped her carefully get up and she held him tight as they looked down at their handiwork giggling like school children. She looked up into his blue eyes and without a single stutter asked, "Naruto-kun, let's make a promise that we will do this again every year together. Will you do that for me; will you promise to be here next year?" She knew if she could get him to make a solemn promise that maybe she could pull him from the edge.

Looking down at her he felt something that he thought was gone, he cared, and he knew if he made that promise to her that he would have to stop trying to get himself killed. To do that he would have to finally have to let go of Sakura and be an adult not the sulking child that was angry he did not get what he wanted. That was what granny had meant when she said that I could never become Hokage until I learned to put everything else second to the needs of the village.

Licking his suddenly dry lips he stares into her pale eyes. "Hinata-chan, would you like to have dinner with me again tomorrow?"

She smiles but it quickly goes away when she remembers what tomorrow night is and the prior commitment she could not miss. "I can't, we have a family dinner every year and I have to be there since I was officially named the heir to the family." He smiles and said it was okay but she could see that pain behind that smile and nearly began to cry. "I have an idea. Naruto as the next head of the Hyuga clan it would be an honor to have the hero of the Fourth Shinobi War as our guest and it would bring dishonor to our clan if you were to decline."

"But won't your father be upset you bringing an outsider to the family dinner?" The thoughts of upsetting the highly strict and easily angered Hyuga leader was not something that Naruto even at his most mischievous stage in his youth had dared to cross.

She smiles at seeing that there was something that could make him nervous. "Guests are allowed and have happened from time to time when a dignitary from another country was visiting the village and had no family nearby so my father would invite them for dinner. It is seen as a great honor to be seated at the table of one of the Leaf Villages most influential families." She gives him a poke in the chest to make sure he is paying attention. "Having you as our guest for dinner would also be seen as a honor as well because I do not believe that you have given that honor to any other family in the village before." Hinata thinks that her father will enjoy rubbing that under a few noses in the next elders meeting.

"Okay, I would love to have dinner with you and your family." The thought of sitting around a table with a family and sharing a real meal was so foreign to him yet his inner child was filled with excitement at long last knowing what it was really like to do something so normal to most people.

Without realizing that they had been walking for a while they look up and see the gates to the Hyuga compound. The guards give Naruto a harsh look but say nothing as the two of them near the gates. One of guards opens the gate for her, but before she steps through the threshold she walks back to Naruto. "I am glad you bumped into me today and I had a really good time tonight I hope that the little genin will be alright." They both share a laugh at the thoughts of the young shinobi scattering like leaves in the wind. "I forgot to tell you something about the dinner. It is not required, but it is customary to bring a gift not for everyone but at least for the clan leader and it just so happens that father is allowing me to take over the leadership role for this year's festivities so I hope you have something nice in mind. I know what I plan on giving you tomorrow." She gives him the lightest kiss on the cheek and quickly disappears behind the gate before he can protest.

Turning away and not noticing the stares of the guards he starts to walk away rubbing the warm spot on his face. "Present, she said present."

One of the guards looks over at him. "You do know that her birthday is less than 4 days away right. The party is not going be just for the holiday it is to celebrate her 18th birthday."

Panic overtook him and he runs into the village hoping to find someplace still open this late where he can find a give worthy of a clan heiress. "I have never bought a Christmas present for anyone before let alone birthday present for a girl, what I am going to do?"

The other guard watches the fleeing boy and then looks over to the other guard. "Why did you tell him about her birthday? Won't that just encourage him to come around more?"

He turns and looks at his fellow guard. "I made a promise to Neji before the war that if anything would happen to him that I would make sure Lady Hyuga was happy especially if it involved a certain boy. All I am doing is keeping a promise to a fellow clan member so his spirit may be able to find some peace."

For the first time in a while the pain was forgotten and Naruto actually looks forward to seeing the sun rise on another day. Hopefully he can finally find some peace and move forward towards his ultimate goal of becoming Hokage.

**A/N: I hope you liked the story. **


	2. A plea for help and defiant eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**This was originally was supposed to be a one-shot, but I was contacted publically and privately asking me to continue the story. I have mapped out an arc and do have a completion to the story in mind, but as I write the number of chapters are increasing so be patient and we will get there in time. Reviews will be appreciated, but I ask that you be respectful since this is my first attempt at writing a multiple chapter story.**

**I am planning on switching this to an M rating. I have not decided yet if I will have any sort of lemons in the story, but if I do at least you are warned ahead of time that I may add one to the story. If you have opinion either way on the subject let me know.**

On top of a light pole outside the Hokage's tower a lone figure balances like a cat looking towards the upper level offices. His blue eyes scan the windows looking for the one person who he hopes can help him out with his current problem. He has never been to a family holiday dinner before and the only holiday gifts he was ever given were by Jiraiya, so he has no real clue on what to buy Hinata.

Until the last year he used to know her schedule down nearly to the minute and could have told you exactly where to find her any time of the day with some pretty good accuracy. Now he could not tell you where she would be and guessed based on old patterns that around this time of year she should be home wrapping the last of her gifts. Otherwise he did not want to think about where she might be tonight.

Movement catches his eyes and he sees the woman he has been looking for and seeing his target enter her office he leaps from the pole to the railing barely making a sound on the snow covered material. He looks inside carefully to make sure that she is alone.

Shizune tired from trying to get the Hokage to wrap up a small mountain of paperwork before she goes into her holiday downtime at the local bars walks into her office carrying the signed paper for sorting and filing. A pair of large blue eyes staring at her through one of the windows scares her so bad that she just drops everything and screams. Her scream wipes the big smile completely off his face.

Startled that Shizune would scream upon seeing him, and worried that if she kept screaming that someone he did not want to see might come and investigate, he throws open the luckily unlocked window and rushes in to try and calm the woman down. "Hey, it just me Naruto I am sorry I scared you I need your help."

SLAP!

"We have invented things called doors why don't you try and discover how they work and use one next time." She clutches her throbbing hand to her chest. 'Damn his jaw is like a rock. It is probably tough from all those beating he got from Sakura while they were growing up together.'

"Ow, I am really sorry Shizune, but I just didn't want to… I mean I was afraid to…" He puts his head down in shame at not being able to say her name out loud and bends down to pick up the scattered files.

Shizune can clearly see the raw hurt in his face and feels ashamed for striking the heartbroken boy. 'Damn, that girl really messed him up. I never thought anything could get under his skin. He has faced monsters like Pain and Madara Uchiha without flinching, but even thinking about saying her name has him acting like a child during a thunderstorm.' She bends down to help with the file retrieval. "I'm sorry Naruto it's the old ninja training kicking in that caused me to slap. You said something about needing my help, what do you need?"

He stands up and places the stack he collected onto Shizune's desk. "I'm sorry to be such a bother but something has come up and I really don't know who else to ask. You see, I got invited by Hinata to attend her family's holiday dinner tomorrow night and I need to bring a gift." He looks at her with a look of sad desperation. "I have never eaten a holiday meal, or really any meal to be honest, with a family before and I don't know what I should wear or what kind of gift to bring. You grew up with a big family and you have been helping granny Tsunade for years with Hokage related stuff so I figured you might be the best person to ask about what kind of gift to bring with me to a dinner with a family as influential as the Hyuga clan." He turns and walks back towards the open window. "I know that you are probably busy with your own stuff and don't have the time to spare so I'll go and figure something out."

Her heart went out to the boy and she knew that Lady Tsunade would throw her out a window if she refused to help the boy who she thought of as a son she never had. "No, wait. I need to do some last minute shopping tomorrow so why don't you join me and we can do it together. I need a male perspective on one of my gifts anyways."

He gives her one of his big fox grins and rubs the back of his head. "You are a real life saver Shizune. I'm sure if I showed up with the wrong kind of gift or wore the wrong kind of outfit that old man Hyuga would have me thrown right out of the place."

"Well, you might want to start off by not saying 'old man Hyuga' especially while inside the family compound. He might not take being called old as well as Lady Tsunade." Shizune cover her mouth as she giggles at the sudden fright that washes over the boy's face.

"That is a scary thought; granny Tsunade actually did throw me out her office window last year when I call her 'old lady' by accident, and she made me pay for the repairs." He made a mental note to try and use formal titles tomorrow night while at dinner. He grabs Shizune's hand and bows deeply. "Meet me at Ichiraku's in the morning and I'll treat you to some breakfast ramen before we hit the stores." He smiles and heads back out the window before she can comment.

"I forbid it Hinata. Were you not listening at the council meetings? The boy has become irrational and self-destructive over his infatuation with a girl who is in love with the Uchiha traitor. From the reports I have read she has made it clear for years that she has no romantic feelings for him and yet he still persisted. It was not until she publically embarrassed him right there in front of everyone in the aftermath of the final battle when she embraced the traitor and declared her love did he finally see the truth." Hiashi could not believe that his daughter, the one he has selected to take over the Hyuga clan one day, would seriously consider inviting the Jinchuriki into their home for the family's holiday dinner. He knew from reports that his daughter had developed feelings for the boy when they were children, but he had hoped that over time that she would grow up and see the boy as a poor match. It seems as though he would have to take a heavier hand in the situation.

"Father, please hear me out." Hinata could not understand why her father was so angry at her decision to ask Naruto to be part of this year's holiday dinner. If only he knew Naruto the way she did then he would understand why she had asked him to come to dinner. All her father knew of Naruto was from the reports of his activities as a lonely child acting out to get just a little bit of attention and recognition. Then to a reckless fighter who at times does not address authority figures with the level of respect their station demands. He has not seen the determination that Naruto possess to overcome any obstacle that gets in the way of his dreams or threatens his friends. Father was not there for the battle against Pain and only read the reports of how near the end he lost control and the Kyuubi nearly took over completely and destroyed acres of the countryside during their conflict.

Hiashi was becoming exasperated that they were still even having this discussion. "What is there to discuss the Jinchuriki were created as a weapon for war and now that the war is over weapons like those should be put away."

SLAP!

Hinata could tell what her father meant by 'put away' and that he thought the nine-tailed fox should be resealed within Naruto or even worse removed and seal away elsewhere. "Not you or anyone else is going to hurt Naruto do you understand me?" She braced herself for her father's strike, but unlike when she was a child being disciplined for her failures and she would turn her head and shrink within herself to try and lessen the pain of the strike. This time she stood there with her eyes staring directly into his and her posture told of a woman prepared to be beaten till there was barely a spark of life left within her body.

The slap made his left ear ring and his fighting reflexes took over as Hiashi raised his hand to strike back, but her eyes held him still and his mind was thrown back in time to one of the few instances that his wife had not let him win an argument. She had been a gentle person, too gentle really to be the wife of the clan leader, but her quiet nature had been a soothing influence on many decisions he had made while she was alive. In one particular instance one of the clan had lost an eye during a battle and the eye was stolen by shinobi from another nation. Hiashi had wanted the man executed for allowing such a precious thing to be taken, because it was the law within the clan to defend that secret with their lives. His wife had given him this same look as she told him that the man could in time find this thief and retrieve what was lost because a dead man is just that, dead, and of no more use to the clan. She had been right and a year later their paths crossed again and while he died in the fight he also destroyed the eye that was stolen along with the thief, regaining his honor. Unfortunately she had died before then and never knew that her position on that subject had been correct. Now he was seeing that face again so many years later in his daughters face and held his anger in check.

"Father, the invitation has already been given and accepted it would bring dishonor to our guest and to our own reputation if such an invitation was taken back. I ask that you please trust my judgment on this subject as your successor and allow my guest to come to dinner tomorrow night." Hinata's heart was in a flutter that for the first time she had taken a stance against her father's wishes and was holding firm on the decision.

"And if I have the guards refuse his entry into the clan compound?"

"Then he and I will have holiday ramen together at Ichiraku's tomorrow night while the rest of the family has dinner without the heir's presence." She hoped that her voice sounded as sure to him as her words, but she could barely keep the butterflies in her stomach under control.

He wanted to laugh out loud at hearing the weak defiance in her voice, but it was defiance and not the meek child that had always done as she was told. "I see that I have no choice but to allow your guest to attend the family's holiday dinner tomorrow night, but be warned that if his behavior becomes a distraction I will ask him, politely, to leave. Do I make myself clear? You may be the heir Hinata, and tomorrow I am allowing you to assume the role fully for the party, but I am still the leader of Hyuga clan and I expect my decisions to be obeyed." He looked down critically into his daughter's eyes watching this woman he never expected to be hiding within that timid shell. 'If this hidden strength of hers could be nurtured to where she could draw upon it anytime then I might have less reservations passing on the leadership to this generation.'

She wanted to jump for joy and wrap her arms around father to thank him for relenting and letting her have her way this one time, but she held onto propriety and bowed deeply to her father. "Thank you very much father for allowing my friend to attend dinner with us tomorrow night. I will talk with the staff to make sure that they are aware of the seating changes for the meal. Since he is my guest he will be seated to my right and Hanabi to my left." After her father nodded in agreement she left and had to stop outside the room to catch her breath. 'I can't believe I slapped my father and I was not carried out of the room unconscious by servants afterwards. I think I'm going to be sick." She takes a few calming breaths and runs off to talk with the staff about the changes in tomorrow night's seating arrangements.

Later that night Shizune enters the Hokage's office with another stack of paperwork and barely dodges the pen that flies past her head and sticks like a kunai to the closed door behind her.

"Dammit you said we were almost done an hour ago and here you are with another stack bigger than the last." Lady Tsunade's had become moody shortly after the sun went down and it had deteriorated ever since. She was not going to miss Shizune next time if she returned with any more paperwork tonight and she would make sure where she hit would be painful and take a while to heal.

"I'm sorry Hokage, I promise that this is the last of tonight's paperwork and your schedule is clean for the next two days." She sets the files on top of the in-box on with the other files that still remain unread and unsigned. "You are not going to believe who was just in my office."

"By the screaming I heard my guess would be Kakashi again, but I'm sure the two of you would not break a promise about doing that during office hours or anywhere near files that I might have to touch later." She gives her old friend a dirty smirk that contains a warning as well.

Shizune holds up her hands and shakes her head. "You made it plainly clear when you interrupted us the last time that we were banned from doing such things inside the Hokage's tower. We have kept our personal business outside this building since that time." She nearly blushed when she remembered what happened on top of the Hokage's tower a few days later. "What I was trying to say was that Naruto was just in my office."

The mention of the boy's name immediately changes Tsunade's attitude from annoyed to obvious concern. "What? Why did he come to you? Is something going on that I should know about Shizune? Speak woman!"

Shizune waves her hands back and forth trying to get the Hokage to calm down and let her speak. "He came into my office asking for some help."

Tsunade's eyes narrow in suspicion at the mention of Naruto asking for help. "What did he ask for help with Shizune?" So help me if this is about him and Sakura I will have somebody from the Yamanaka clan wipe every trace of her from his mind. I don't care if he is a gibbering idiot afterwards, it might be an improvement over the way he is acting lately.

"Please Lady let me finish and you will know everything. He said that Hinata Hyuga had invited him to her family's holiday dinner tomorrow night and since he grew up as an orphan he has no idea on what to wear or even what sort of present is appropriate to give at such an event. A simple thing that most of us really just take for granted." She gives her friend and mentor a sad smile. "He asked if I would meet with him tomorrow morning and help him pick out something nice to give Hinata and I said yes."

Tsunade leans back into her chair and rubs her chin thoughtfully. "So the little Hyuga girl has finally found the courage to make her move. It has been tough to watch her in the council meetings lately sitting there behind her father, learning about the responsibilities that will be hers one day, and see her holding back the tears as Naruto's recent issues have been discussed openly by the council. When they read aloud the part about his injuries during his sparing session with Gaara I thought she was going to faint. I cannot blame her really when I read the initial report about the incident I did not know whether to cry or punch something." Looking over her shoulder she smirks. "They did such a wonderful job replacing that wall. I should send a thank you letter to the carpenter and his son for doing such fine work."

Shizune remembers well that day and how it took four men to haul the desk back up to the office after Tsunade had thrown the whole thing through the west wall and out onto the street below. The ANBU had sent three squads to check on the incident and did not seem surprised at all by what they found.

"Shizune I want you to make helping Naruto get ready for the dinner your top priority tomorrow. I don't care what other plans you might have had I don't know how much longer I am going to be able to keep certain factions within the council silent. Not only is his chance at ever having a shot of becoming Hokage at risk, but his very freedom." She reaches into a drawer and pulls out two scrolls. "Give these to him tomorrow, Jiraiya entrusted them to me before his death and I think that it is time for Naruto to read what they contain."

She nods her head at the request but worries that her own shopping list might go unfinished if things take too long tomorrow so she begins working out a mental list of everything that will need to be done. "I will do my best."

Tsunade writes something onto a piece of paper and hands it over to Shizune. "Get me these files and then go home and get some rest. I will finish these up and leave them on your desk." Seeing the unbelieving look on her friend's face she adds, "I promise that I will finish these before I call it a night, just have somebody bring me up some tea and a snack, I will probably be here most of the night."

She turns and looks out the window at the falling snow once she is alone. "Dammit Sakura, you made a real mess of things and now that boy's future and quite possibly his very life might all rest upon the fragile shoulders of one introverted little girl. If I did not love you like a daughter I seriously might have broken your neck for causing us all this trouble." Lady Tsunade Senju, the Fifth Hokage, puts her hands together and says a silent prayer for guidance.


	3. A final message

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto because if I did then Hinata would have had been in more episodes.**

The next morning Naruto paces nervously outside Ichiraku's ramen shop looking up and down the street impatiently. He was trying to come up with gift ideas if Shizune did not show up and knew he would need as much time as possible to find something on his own. "What about flowers? Girls seem to like flowers, but they would be hard to wrap and not make a mess." Besides that means going to the flower shop owned by Ino's family and that could cause more problems because somebody else spends their free time there talking with Ino.

"Maybe clothes, I know what colors she likes to wear." He starts walking towards a nearby clothing shop.

'WHAT ABOUT SIZE? DON'T YOU HUMANS COME IN DIFFERENT SIZES?' The voice of Kurama rings out in his mind with a hint of amusement. 'SHE DOES SEEEM TO BE A DELICATE THING AND HER FEELINGS MIGHT BE HURT IF YOU GIVE HER SOMETHING THAT SHE CAN'T WEAR, BUT MOST LIKELY SHE WILL BE TOO NICE TO TELL YOU OR EVER TO RETURN IT FOR SOMETHING THAT SHE COULD WEAR.'

Naruto stops in the middle of the street and cocks his head to the side in disbelief. 'Wait, you don't talk to me for months and now you decide that you feel like talking. I am really not in the mood for this right now.'

'IF I REMEMBER RIGHT I WAS TRYING TO ADVISE YOU AGAINST A STUPID AND POTENTIALLY SUICIDAL COURSE OF ACTION AND YOU TOLD ME TO SHUT UP, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID. I DID NOT EVEN SAY I TOLD YOU SO WHEN YOU ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL AFTERWARDS.'

Noticing the stares of people walking by Naruto walks into an alley to carry on his conversation. 'I am getting an 'I told you so' vibe from you right now besides you told me that I would die and I didn't. Besides the look on that guys face when I smashed two Rasengans together inches from his face was priceless. Till there was nothing left of him after the explosion I guess, but the guy was a real creep and deserved what he got after we found what he did to those kids.' He gives a shiver at that memory. "So what should I get her; a new jacket, shirt, or a cloak?"

'HOW WOULD I KNOW YOU HUMANS LOOK ALL THE SAME TO ME; SMALL, FRAGILE AND UGLY. MAYBE YOU SHOULD ASK THAT WOMAN RUNNING DOWN THE STREET.'

He nearly collapses in relief when he sees Shizune coming down the street waving.

"I'm sorry if you have been waiting long. I was writing down a list of everything I thought you might need or want to know for tonight, plus I had to make a list of everyone I have not bought gifts for yet. Let's eat and get started we are going to need to hit the clothing store first just in case they need to make any alterations."

They ordered and even though she eats with haste Naruto still wolfs down five bowls of ramen by the time she has finished her first bowl. "Okay, I'm good to go. Let's talk while we head to the tailors." She waits for him to pay for their meal and make his well wishes. "The Hyuga clan's family gatherings all center on tradition which includes attire, so I would suggest that we get you something that will meet those requirements, but also allows you to express who you are and why you deserve the honor of dining with her family."

He looks down at his usual clothing thinking that he had just bought this outfit after the last one got shredded in his match with Gaara. 'I guess I should not show up for a family style dinner dressed like I was ready to fight. Though I might regret not wearing my combat gear if I make Hinata's father upset and he throws me out.' He looks at Shizune and nods, "Okay, you are the expert here I will do what you suggest."

Sometime later at the tailors Naruto's head was starting to ache from looking at fabrics and making choices that he was not sure were correct. If Shizune had not been there, and had been so supportive, he might have just ditched the whole thing and apologized to Hinata later. Looking at himself in the mirror he had to admit that he was starting to look pretty good. He was wearing a white juban kimono under an orange montuki kimono with a black haori jacket and hakama. The seamstress said she could have the Uzumaki symbols stitched and ready in plenty of time for him to be ready for tonight's dinner. At first she would not take anything for the outfit saying that her son was initially killed during the Pain attack and was alive now because of what he had done. She told him that a single outfit was not nearly enough to repay her gratitude, but ultimately he got her to agree on letting him pay for the material cost at least.

While they were there Shizune had him model a few different outfits and after some verbal prodding he got her to admit the outfit was for Kakashi and that the two of them had been seeing each other over the last few months. So to help Shizune out he made a shadow clone in the image of his old sensei and the two of them worked together on figuring out the perfect gift.

After a little more shopping a gift for Hinata was selected and Naruto suggested that they take a look at jewelry for a birthday present. Shizune was surprised at his suggestion and thought the idea was a good one. They ended up at a shop that Lady Tsunade favors when she is in the mood for something flashy but tasteful to wear at events with influential guests to the village.

The shopkeeper immediately recognized Shizune and then Naruto second. "Welcome back to Senjima Jewelry Miss Shizune are you here on business for the Hokage?" He glances towards Naruto who has begun looking at the nearly overwhelming variety of jewelry laid out in the cases and then back to her. "Or are you here for personal business?" He adds with a mischievous smile.

Blushing slightly at the suggestion that she would be cougaring around with the handsome young shinobi she shakes her head. "My friend here is looking for a gift to give a girl for her birthday."

"Hey Shizune, how about this, it is really pretty and I am sure this would look good on her." He leans down to take a closer look and seeing a shadow he looks up to see the shopkeeper smiling down at him.

"Do you have someone special in mind sir? It is my very best and you would be hard pressed to find any better within a week's walk from the village. Would you like me to take it out of the case so you can get a better look?" He starts to slide the door open to reach in and take out the case.

Naruto looks over to ask Shizune for her opinion and becomes confused at the look of shock upon her face. "Are you okay? You are hungry too, right? I knew we should have stopped for lunch before jewelry shopping." He starts waving his hand back and forth to try and get her attention. "Shizune."

She blinks and swallows hard before replying. "Naruto, do you know where you are?"

"Yeah, we are in a jewelry store and I am looking at a really pretty ring." He is completely confused at what is wrong with her and is afraid she might need to go to Tsunade for medical attention before they finish their shopping.

"Naruto, those are engagement rings."

"Yeah rings, she might like a ring."

"SHE SAID ENGAGEMENT RINGS. WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN TO THE WHOLE SENTENCE FOR A CHANGE, BOY." Kurama seemed to be laughing, actually laughing.

"Yeah, rings. En-gage-ment… "The boy pauses as the three syllables have finally begun to coalesce into a complete word and his brain has become stuck on the definition of the word and its implications.

"Ring." The shopkeeper holds out the ring in its case for the boy to have a closer look.

The boy's face turns blue and he goes up on one foot in fright as if the ring was actually a poisonous serpent. "Ahhh… ahhh… ahhh."

Shizune now recovered from her own shock takes the boy's hand and leads him over to another section of the shop to look at something with far less implications. 'If I had not been here he would have bought that and gave it to Hinata. The poor girl might have ended up in the coma ward.'

After the shock wore off they were able to find a more suitable present for the young woman's birthday. Naruto was pleased with the selections for Hinata and thanked Shizune profusely. "I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the help you gave me today. I might have given up if you had not been kind enough to help and I have the notes you gave me and I promised to look over then during lunch." He holds up his completely deflated frog wallet and sighs deeply. "Can you ask Granny Tsunade to find me a mission soon? I am going to be eating instant ramen until I have the chance to earn more after tonight. I'll even do a B-rank mission, but please not a C-rank or lower if possible."

She pats the top of head as he bows. "I'll see what we can do, but after what happened with Gaara she is wary of sending you back out, so soon." She wanted to pull him aside and wanted to tell him more about how his recent activities are hurting his reputation in and out of the village. She decided not to say anything knowing that it would upset him before his dinner with the Hyuga's and most likely cause an incident if he decided to confront Hinata's father.

Shizune reaches into a pocket and hands Naruto two scrolls both of them have his name written on them with the familiar handwriting of his of teacher Jiraiya.

"These are from Pervy Sage?" He looks up at the woman with a confused look.

"Yes, he left them with Lady Tsunade to be given to you when the time was right and she felt that now was the appropriate time for you to receive his last words of advice." She bows and gathers her bags. "Good luck tonight and remember what we talked about, giving people nicknames is fun among friends, but people used to a certain level of respect do not always appreciate being addressed any other way."

Naruto barely notices her leaving as he stares down at the scroll. Memories of those years studying with his old master come flooding back to him and he swallows to push away the lump in his throat. He does not remember the walk home or even sitting down at the table as he relives what had been some of the happiest times of his childhood. He opens the first scroll and it contains some sort of legal document. He sets that one aside and checks the other scroll and it is a message meant for him from Jiraiya.

My boy,

If you are reading this then I am dead and hopefully your troubles with the Akatsuki have been resolved. I am leaving to check out where I believe their headquarters are hidden and to see if I can learn anything about their leader and hopefully what is their ultimate plan. If I do not return then I wanted you to know that I am glad we had our time together and that your parents would have been proud of the young man you have become. I have faith that in time you will be able to surpass me and fulfill my vision of a more peaceful world.

One piece of advice from an old man who has been around and seen so many things over the years. You often spoke of your future and what is in your heart and I worry that two of your goals might one day conflict with each other. You often spoke of a pink-haired girl with green eyes and I could tell that she holds a very special place in your heart just by the way you say her name. You also talked of how you promised to one day save your friend and bring him back to the village, but this girl you hold so very special is in love with your friend and if he returns you might never be able to be part of that girl's life in the way you hope.

Let me tell you about another young man who faced a similar situation and how he handled the problem he had with the girl of his dreams. The two of them were in a team much like the two of you and they grew up together, fought side-by-side through so many hardships and when the two of them were together it felt like nobody could stand in their way. He fell in love with his teammate and would have done nearly anything in his power to get her attention even acting like a fool just so she would look at him even if it was to yell. She cared for him too, but her heart belonged to somebody else and deep down he knew that was true, but the thoughts of losing her made him blind to this fact and over time his love became desperate and words were spoken that should have never been uttered. Later, during a mission, her lover was killed and died in her arms and no amount of tenderness could repair the damage done by her old teammate's hasty words and so he lost her twice. They went their separate ways and did speak from time to time, but never again like they had before the fight until a young boy came into their lives and forced them to look beyond those old hurts and once again to the future.

As you might have guessed those two shinobi were Tsunade and I. We lost so much time together throwing ourselves into our work and our vices to try and ignore the pain of being apart from each other. So much time wasted with nothing to show for it until we met you and we had something to bridge that rift and come to terms with our wasted time. It was too late though and we will never be more than friends, but at least after so long I have my best friend back in my life.

What I am saying my boy is that in time you might have to sacrifice one dream to make another come true. Make a better choice than your old master and don't lose her friendship, lovers come and go but something that special leaves a hole when it is gone. I know she holds a special place in your heart, but our hearts can hold a spot for multiple people, each in their own special place. I just don't want you to live a life of regret like I did; if I could have gone back and done it all over I would have kept my friendship. My life became a lonely one filled with meaningless distractions when she was gone; don't let that happen to your life. Maybe there is someone else out there for you that you have been overlooking while you have been focused on your one goal. Let's face it boy you tend to be single-minded and ignore everything else when you have a goal in mind.

If you truly want to become Hokage one day then you will have to look beyond yourself and see everything and everyone around you and how they fit into place. A Hokage holds their entire village in their heart, but not so closely that it blinds them to the needs of the whole.

There should be another scroll along with this one and I have named you my heir and all of the future proceeds to my book series will be yours my boy. Just remember me from time to time and toast a drink to my memory.

Yours,

Jiraiya

He sits there for a while staring at the letter letting his old master's words sink into his heart before standing up and going to a nearby cabinet. He pulls out a large half empty bottle of sake that he has been drinking lately on nights when he could not sleep and just did not want to think anymore. He pours himself a drink and walks out onto the balcony looks up into the sky and raises his cup. "Here's to you Pervy Sage. It looks like you had one last lesson to teach me after all and I'll do my best, but it is so hard to let go of your dreams." He drinks down the fiery liquid and turns to the Hokage monument and stares at his father's image on the mountain. "How about you dad? Do you have any words of wisdom to give me about a broken heart?"

Hinata and her sister Hanabi were nearby shopping for last minute items she wanted to make tonight's party perfect. Growing up the two sisters had not been very close and in many ways they had been enemies. Due to the family tradition that any siblings of the clan leader were to have the caged bird seal placed upon their forehead to ensure the loyalty of those siblings Hinabi saw what this had done to their cousin Neji. She did not want to end up being lesser than the child her father had called weak and a disappointment to the Hyuga clan. Hinabi had been praised for her strength and skill by not only her father but by Neji himself and was afraid that her sister would use the seal against her once she became the clan leader to silence a potential rival.

After the war Neji had failed to return alive and her sister had come back changed by the experience their father had made it formal that Hinata had proved herself worthy during the war to be the next heir. Hinata had went to her devastated sister and told her of Neji's death and made her a promise that if their father did not end the horrible clan tradition that as her first act she would abolish all current seals and promise that the clan would never again do that to a family member. Since that time the two girls had become closer and spent time together training or just talking.

Hinabi also knew from talking to Neji before the war and her sister afterwards that their dinner guest tonight had been instrumental in changing her cousin's heart, but also the whole clan's outlook in the old practice. She had begged her sister to allow her to come along today and help with purchasing the last of the needed items to help tonight be special. She had only seen Naruto from a distance on a few occasions but had never spoken to him directly and wanted to see for herself what made her sister's face turn red every time she mentioned his name.

They had already picked up the fresh ingredients for the last minute meal changes and all that was left was to pick up some fresh flowers for the centerpiece. The Yamanaka had a grower nearby that provided fresh flowers all year long from their greenhouse which also had a deal with the hospital growing certain herbs that would lose their potency if dried.

They were greeted by Ino who walked up to them with a big smile. "So, how did it go last night?"

Hinata blushed at the question knowing exactly what the girl was asking about and seeing the questioning glance from her sister. "W-well we just walked for a while and then we stopped to talk in the park."

"He sure did look comfortable with his head in your lap." Ino looked down at Hinabi with nod and a wide grin when the girl's mouth dropped open in shock when she saw Hinata's face go crimson.

"He-he fell asleep while we talking and I…"

Ino gave the girl a hug. "We were happy to see him looking so peaceful Hinata. Kiba won't say it but he thinks of Naruto like a brother and you like a sister and as we were walking away I heard him sniffing and rubbing one eye. He tried to play it off that a snowflake got into his eye, but he can't fool somebody from the Yamanaka clan." Kiba had been quiet for some time after that and just smiled that goofy grin he gets when he is happy. "So I guess you two are here for flowers for your family's big dinner tonight. Well we got in some fresh flowers this morning so look around and let me know if I can be of help, ever." She gives Hinata's hand a gentle squeeze with the last comment.

Hinata smiled thinking about her over-protective teammate and hearing Ino's words about how he had acted. She turned to see her sister still looking at her with a shocked expression. "Can we talk about this later? I'll explain everything later, just not here okay." Her sister nodded and they started looking through the available fresh flowers.

They were about done when the door to the shop opened and Hanabi noticed that something suddenly changed with her sister. She looked over and saw that Hinata's body had become stiff and her facial expression hard. On anyone else she would have said the person was angry, but she had never seen Hinata cast a harsh look at anyone so the expression was so foreign that Hanabi had to stare for a few moments before she was sure that was what she was seeing upon her sister's face. Hinata's body and face were positioned as if she was still trying to decide between two bunches of flowers, but her eyes were focused elsewhere.

Hanabi leaned out slightly and caught a flash of pink hair talking to Ino and knew immediately that it was Sakura, the Hokage's protégé in the healing arts and one of Naruto's old teammate's when they were training under Kakashi. She knew her sister had graduated in the same class as the young woman, but had no idea why her sister would react so uncharacteristically to the girl's presents. The two girls talked and laughed for a while before Sakura mentioned something about having someone over for dinner tonight and the two girl's conversation became whispers and giggling.

Hanabi looked back over to see that her sister had not moved or even changed her expression so she reached out and gently touched her hand. "Do you want to leave?"

Hinata blinked and looked at her sister. "Not yet, but soon." Once the pink-haired girl began to look around the store Hinata took what she had selected so far and headed to the counter.

Ino looked at the flowers and nodded her approval. "These are beautiful and should make a wonderful centerpiece for tonight." She smiles at Hinata when she picks up the bundle of orange flowers and wraps them up carefully along with the others. Hinata quickly pays and was halfway to the door when Sakura stepped out holding a bunch of red flowers.

Sakura smiles warmly at them both. "Hinata, I haven't seen you for a while how have you been?"

"Fine." Hinata replies flatly.

"Good." Sakura replies with confused look on her face and she turns to Hanabi. "Look how you have grown. I hear that you will be taking the chunin test in the spring. Your father must be so proud."

Hanabi unsure about how to act, or what to say to this friendly girl in front of them, glances over at Hinata before replying. "Yes, he has stepped up my training lately to make sure that I am completely ready to make genin on my first try."

"I am sure you will Hanabi, I remember Neji once saying how talented you were using the Gentle Fist Technique." She gives the beaming girl a genuinely friendly smile.

Hinata was unsure if Sakura meant that last comment as compliment to her sister or a dig at how Neji used to complain how useless she was when they were children. That was before his first try at becoming a genin came to a halt when he was defeated by Naruto and his attitude towards the Hyuga clan was changed by the boy's words. Either way she could not look upon the person who had hurt Naruto so badly without the desire to slap the smile off the girl's face. How dare she walk around laughing and talking like nothing was wrong when he was out there trying to get himself killed to forget about how his broken heart. She tried to not wonder if he would ever think of her the same way he did over someone who obviously did not love him. If she thought about him not ever loving her that way she knew she would start crying.

"We need to get home and finish the decorations before the family dinner Hanabi." She looks at Sakura briefly before walking towards the door. "Bye." She was almost out when Sakura speaks again her voice changing from the friendly tone to one more serious and heartfelt.

"Hinata, if you see… well I just wanted…" The girl seemed unsure of what to say or even how. "Happy Holiday." She gives Hinata a friendly smile, but her eyes showed that she wanted to say so much more. Hinata just turns without replying and leaves the store before she says something she might one day regret.

Hanabi struggles to keep up with her sister's pace. "Can you explain to me why you were so freaked out back there? I have never seen you act rudely to anyone in my life." Hanabi could not think of anything that this girl who was highly respected in the village could have possibly done to have made her sister act in such a hostile manner. She did not even talk about the man who killed Neji to prove a point in such a blatantly hostile tone.

Hinata turned and addressed her sister with red rimmed eyes her lips set in a hard line. "Don't, just don't ask me about what happened back there and don't you ever say a word about this to anyone or I will never forgive you okay." She turns and heads home her happy mood destroyed by one chance encounter.

Hanabi hurt by her sister's tone followed closely behind and decided to find out what could one person possibly do make the porcelain doll of the Hyuga Clan turn to iron by her very presence. The question was who to ask without breaking her promise to never say anything about what had just happened at the flower shop. She was beginning to wonder if all of this had something to do with Naruto since Sakura had once been his teammate. Since the end of the War she had wished her cousin was still alive, at this moment she would have given just about anything to talk to Neji. She was sure that he would have known what was wrong with her sister and how to fix the problem and make her smile again. Tomorrow she would go back to the flower shop after practice and talk to Ino since she is a notorious gossip and had witnessed her sister's rude behavior.


	4. A Family Dinner

**A/N: Well, here we are. The Holiday Dinner at the Hyuga clan compound is finally upon us, and I hope you all like what I have wrote. **

**Disclaimer: Also, I do not own Naruto.**

At the gates outside the Hyuga clan compound two guards stand watch while the festivities for the Winter Holiday are about to get started. Being a guard on this night has been a position of honor for the family for generations and has always been filled by volunteers who see it as their duty to protect their family so that they can celebrate in peace and comfort. Through the night at least one guard has their byakugan activated and scanning the entire area around the compound watching for anyone who might take advantage of this night and attack the clan.

The guards were aware of his presence long before the lone figure would have visible been to most other shinobi. The guards had been made aware of the boy's invitation for night's dinner, but that did not mean they would break from protocol. "Halt, identify yourself and your purpose for being here at this late hour."

The young blonde ninja stopped suddenly surprised at the strength of the challenge from the guards. Part of him hoped that Hinata's father had recanted the invitation and that he could go home and sulk, his favorite activity lately, but he knew that if he did Hinata's feeling would have be hurt and he would not do that to a friend.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I was invited by Hyuga Hinata to have dinner with her clan tonight." He did his best to remember what Shizune had told him earlier today about controlling his temper. She said that he could embarrass Hinata not just in front of her father but the whole clan if he lost his temper which could hinder her ascension to becoming the next clan leader. To ensure that he would not embarrass her he had asked Kurama to give him a hard mental poke if he allowed somebody to anger him and the Kyubi had said that he would be more than happy to give him a smack if he got out of line.

The guard pulled out a scroll and glanced at its content even though there was only one name written inside. "Yes, I see your name here on the list. Your attendance has been expected and I was instructed to escort you to the main house." He nods the other guard who opens the door for them and gestures for the young man to enter.

Once the gate closes behind them Naruto looks over at the guard and smiles. "I wanted to say thank you for mentioning to me last night that Hinata's birthday was coming up soon."

He bows to the boy. "You are most welcome Uzumaki-san."

Naruto holds out a hand to the guard. "Please call me Naruto."

The guard hesitates for a moment at then takes the hand. "Hyuga Kodi." He can't help but to return the boy's large smile.

When they reach the house Kodi bows deeply to Naruto, bids him goodnight and opens the door to the main house for the family's guest.

Naruto bows in return but his attention is quickly drawn into the house. He has been inside Hokage's tower many times, but that building was constructed for function. The Hyuga home was built to remind visitors of the family's strength and importance in the village, but not be gaudy in its display of power. Had Naruto been schooled in the arts he would have been impressed with how not even the smallest detail had been overlooked in the layout and construction of the building. The boards used were selected for their uniformity of grain structure and color to draw the viewers' attention down the hallway and into the formal meeting hall. The meeting hall was an open room with support pillars carved from single pieces of timber that were also uniform with the others in the hall.

Currently the room has been decorated with fresh ribbons and garland that fills the room with their evergreen perfume. A long table has been set the length of the room with seating for each member of the family attending the dinner plus one guest. As he reaches the end of the hallway he stops and looks about looking nervously for a familiar face and sees Hinata talking with a young girl that could only be her younger sister. The young girl sees him first and tugs at Hinata's sleeve and points her in his direction.

"Look Hinata I think your friend has arrived." Hanabi points towards the entrance with a big smile and cannot help but watch how her sister's face lights up when she sees the young man standing there looking nervous and the same shade of pink that decorates her cheeks when she talks about him begins to make its appearance. Hanabi walks beside her sister to try and understand why she only reacts this way only when she thinks about this strange looking boy.

Hinata's heart flutters as their eyes lock and his face brightens with a broad smile at seeing her. She cannot help but think how handsome and mature he looks in his kimono. She had to admit she was a little worried that he might come in his normal clothes and would have looked out of place with the rest of the people here tonight. 'Now father has one less thing that he could use as an excuse to not like Naruto-kun.'

Naruto watches Hinata walking towards him and he cannot help but feel in awe at how beautiful she looks. She is wearing a furisode style kimono with long flowing sleeves that nearly touch the floor as she walks. The material is made of dark blue silk that matches her hair with a pattern that looks like a field of white flowers blooming on a mountain meadow at the height of spring. The white fluffy clouds in the light blue sky above the field match the perfectly with the pure white of the flowers below. Her obi matches the bright yellow of the circle around the Hyuga house symbol while the obiage and obi jime match the red of the clan symbol. As she reaches him he can't help but bow his head in respect to the young woman in front of him and hold out the gift he brought in stunned silence. He can't help but wonder when did the shy, awkward little girl who watched him train and fought beside him in the War become such a beautiful woman.

"T-t-thank you Naruto-kun for coming tonight you honor us with your presence." She gently takes the gift from his hand making sure not to touch his hands for fear of fainting. "I-I-I cannot wait to give you the gift I have gotten for you, I really hope you will like what I got for you as a present." Any further words are cut off by the sudden appearance of her father who came up right behind her and stared down at the young man with whom she is talking. Hinata knew he was there by her sister's change in body language.

Naruto was about to make a reply when he saw the serious face of the Hiashi Hyuga come up behind his friend and decided to use another lesson that Shizune drilled into him earlier today. "Lord Hyuga, my name is Uzumaki Naruto and I want to thank you for allowing me to attend tonight's celebration." He bows, pulls out another gift from his sleeve and hands it to the clan elder.

Hiashi had to admit he was not expecting such respect from the youngster given that the reports he had read that told of a young man with no respect for authority. He formally takes the gift and opens the box and had to mask his surprise at seeing a bottle of expensive sake inside. Was this a fluke, did the boy just buy the most expensive bottle on the shelf, or did he actually put some thought in the purchase. He decides to see how the rest of the night goes to determine if the reports he has been reading may be exaggerating some of the boy's flaws.

Hiashi returns the boy's bow. "Welcome to our home Uzumaki Naruto. You seem to have good taste in sake. I hope your time with us will be enjoyable." Hiashi turns to his eldest daughter. "Hinata, I leave our guest in your capable hands."

She could not hide her pride in how wonderful Naruto had handled the situation with her father. "Yes father." She bows deeply before he walks away. Turning to Naruto her smile was so big the room seemed to brighten around her. "That went very well Naruto-kun. I think father really liked your gift." Feeling the intense gaze of her sister she turns to the young girl at her side. "I would like to introduce you to my sister Hanabi."

Resisting his normal urge to make a loud introduction he bows to the young girl. "It is an honor to meet you Hanabi." When he straightens up he gives the girl one of his classic fox grins.

For some reason looking into the strange boy's large blue eyes and seeing the big friendly grin made Hanabi feel strange. Her face suddenly feels warm and her stomach swirls like she had just swallowed a swarm of butterflies. Suddenly she has the overwhelming need to avert her gauze from those twin blue pools or her knees might betray her and she would start stumbling around like a klutz.

For Hinata it was odd to see the reaction she has felt so many times reflected in her own sister's face. Seeing the blushing face and the sudden aversion of the eyes in the young face so similar to her own she can now understand how everyone knew about her feelings for Naruto. The reaction also brought about a sensation that she had only felt when Sakura was around, jealousy. Was her sister showing an interest in him? A small voice, deep inside her heart, wanted to reach out and shake her sisters asking her just what did she think she was doing and what her intentions were towards Naruto.

Seeing the girl's reaction Naruto rubs the back of the head and his smile, if possible gets bigger. He thinks to himself about how much she reminds him of Hinata at that age. 'I guess all of those times Hinata's face got red is just something normal for the women of the Hyuga clan. Strange, but kind of cute too.'

The more meek part of her personality regains control and Hinata looks back towards Naruto. "Let me show you where you will sitting tonight." After he nods in agreement she shows him to the cushion she had assigned him for the dinner. She stands at the head of one end of the table just behind her cushion and nods to one of the servants.

A bell is rung to let everyone know that the meal is about to begin and the gathered clan members begin to take their assigned seats. Hinata and her father kneel first onto their cushions followed by the rest of the clan and their guest. Several servants begin bringing out food and placing the platters out onto the table.

Naruto is amazed at the feast displayed down along the table. The feast included: chilled soba noodles with the choice of savory or sweet and spicy dipping sauce, grilled eel, bite size pieces of meat and tofu that had been deep fried in a light batter, several types of sushi, lightly grilled vegetables, and each person is given a bowl of miso soup on their right and a bowl of rice to their left.

Hinata puts her hands together and everyone follows suite and together they all say, "Itadakimasu." Once she has taken a sip of her soup everyone else begins to eat.

The meal goes quietly with only minor chatter but as people start to feel full they begin to strike up conversations with those seated nearby. During the meal Naruto would occasionally look over at Hinata or glance over to Hanabi to smile and received a blushing smile in return. Each time he would see the blushing face his big grin would change to a gentler smile.

At the far end of the table sat Hiashi, who would did not miss the girlish smiles both his daughters were giving the young boy. It was moments like this that he truly missed his wife, knowing that she would have been able to advise him on the changes he was seeing in the girls and how best to handle the situation. As a leader concerned with the future of the clan he sees the boy as a potential problem if he was to return Hinata's infatuation and begins to see himself as potential suitor for her hand. Should he stop this now before it becomes an issue or give the boy a little more time to mature? His behavior so far tonight has been much better than reports had led him to expect, so maybe there is some potential for the boy. He had been raised as a street rat with no guidance or discipline. He had to admit to himself that the mixing of the boy's bloodlines with that of the Hyuga's could potentially produce a quality heir. His father Minato had been an exceptional shinobi and if he had lived he might have been a truly great Hokage, but the boy had taken his temper and lack of focus from his mother, and those would not be a desirable traits to pass on to a potential Hyuga heir.

As a father he could not help but see how his daughter bloomed like a flower in the spring whenever the boy's name was even mentioned. He would be lying if he said that watching the shy little bird spread her wings like a falcon did not fill his heart with pride. What to do?

Hinata was finishing the last of her miso soup and was sitting down her bowl at the same time as Naruto was reaching over to pick up his napkin when their hands brushed. He looked over in surprise and she smiled meekly at him. As he picked up his napkin she raised her little finger ever so slightly to brush the back of his hand. The sensation of his skin sliding past her fingertip made her heart flutter and making her want more. Naruto, feeling the light touch looks down to see her raised finger and was about to say something when Hanabi's voice broke the moment.

"Naruto-san, I heard that you recently spared with the Kazekage Gaara and actually broke through his defense." Hanabi asked the question like a child talking to a hero.

He smiles and scratches the back of his head. "Well, to be honest I did not completely penetrate Gaara's defense, but I did unfortunately hurt him which is no easy feat and something I am not proud of doing." He holds up his chopsticks and draws a circle in the air. "You see Gaara has an amazing defensive ability and it really is the absolute defense. There are two layers; one is the shield of sand that surrounds his body to protect him automatically from attacks and the other is his armour of sand which is a layer of sand that covers his body like a second skin. Getting through both of these layers and doing any damage at all is extremely difficult and you still have to deal with the large amounts of sand that he is controlling for offense."

The three of them did not notice that the conversations nearby had slowly begun to die down as people began to focus on the young man's story.

He gives the young girl a smile. "Gaara and I are friends and he is one of few people I can spar with that I feel like I can really push my abilities and he feels the same way about me when we spar. Don't take me wrong I am not bragging, but if I tap into Kurama for chakra or go into sage mode and let go with everything I have it can get really dangerous even for me if I am standing too close. That is why I developed the rasenshuriken to be able to have an attack at range and not put myself or my teammates into danger."

"So you used a fully powered rasenshuriken against Gaara?" Hanabi asks.

Naruto shakes his head. "I would not use the rasenshuriken against a friend even in a practice fight because if it hits them I could sever their chakra pathways and render them unable to use chakra ever again. I would never take that kind risk with my friends."

Hanabi puts her head down embarrassed to have asked a stupid question. He reaches over and touches her hand and gives her a big smile to let her know that the question was okay. When he pulls his hand away she blushes as she unconsciously rubs the still tingling spot on her hand that he touched.

"Now I have used a wind release: rasengan against Gaara and it did knock him about some but it did not completely break his defense, but in the incident you are asking about I used something new. Growing up in the desert Gaara, who has an affinity for wind like me, is used to windstorms so my wind release: rasengan only has a limited effect on his sand defense. I had to come up with something new so I began working on trying to infuse my rasengan with a different elemental chakra. I summoned a bunch shadow clones and had sets of them work with each of the other nature types to try and learn a new transformation. Lightning would have been the best choice against his earth based defense but I still haven't got the knack of that one yet. I did learn water transformation pretty easily, but unfortunately water is weak against earth type so I had to find a way to make it work. I spent weeks training to infuse water chakra into my rasengan and I finally came up with a new jutsu."

Everyone nearby leaned closer to hear the boy talk about the new jutsu he had invented. Hinata just looked at him with pride while her sister just looked at him with awe that he could come up with an all new jutsu in just a few weeks.

"It is similar to something that Yamato and I were able to do once, but instead of a barrier I was able to turn it into an offensive technique. I call it a rasenbomb, at least for now, I might be able to come up with something cooler to call it later. I form a wind release: rasengan and since air can be compressed very tightly it will expand with great force when the compression is released. So I surrounded the core of a swirling wind release: rasengan with a shell of swirling water. Now we all have been caught in a storm and felt the wind blowing against our skin, but when you add rain to the wind it can really hurt. The rasenbomb is the same concept and does it pack a hit." He shakes his head from side to side as if remembering something painful.

"Gaara and I were sparing in the deep desert a long way away from anyone who might get hurt and we were both smiling at each other from the sheer joy of being able to cut lose. He also gets an advantage there since there is all that extra sand and almost no water so it makes for a better workout for me. We had been going at it for a while and the sun was beginning to set so I decided that it was time to use my new attack. Now I have used a lower powered version against softer targets like trees and the occasional boulder, but I went into sage mode and put a good amount of chakra into the attack and was able to use my speed and dodge around his attacking sand waves when I threw the bomb. Gaara must have been raising his arm to control his sand when the explosion happened and the shockwave from what he told me blew away a large portion of his chakra infused sand and broke his left arm in two places."

By now the rest of the room had gone completely quiet by this time and Hinata looked at Naruto with a worried expression. "W-w-what about you Naruto-kun? D-d-did you get hurt from this new jutsu?" She could tell from how he described the damage done to Gaara he was feeling guilty and there was something else.

He looked over at her with a smirk. "I guess I can't hide much from you can I Hinata?" She blushes at his question. "Yeah, Gaara was protected by his sand from most of the explosion but I got caught in the backlash real hard because I was too close when I threw the bomb. That is the weakness of this attack at the moment, because of the power it destabilizes and explodes quickly. So the next time I will use a shadow clone to deliver the attack. They said I flew for over a half a kilometer before I hit the ground and bounced several times before ending up half buried in a dune."

Both Hyuga girls covered their mouths in shock and Hinata felt a knot form in her stomach at the thought of him being hurt. Others in the crowd just listened with a grim expression.

"If it had not been for Kurama suddenly protecting me with his nine-tails cloak I would probably have died on impact, but even with that I was knocked out for two days. When I woke up Gaara was standing at the nearby window with his arm in a sling and he told me about the explosion and how I nearly died that first night. The wounds had healed over but I had sand seeping out of my skin for days afterwards because the blast had embedded chucks of Gaara's sand deep into my body, damaging bone and tissue. We talked a lot over the next two days and I was called home not too much later, but we parted as friends and he said that I was always welcomed to come back and spar with him anytime I wanted." He smiles at mentioning Gaara as a friend and sparing with him some more.

"Wow, so you have a second nature transformation already." Hinata tried to talk about something else other than Naruto getting hurt because thinking of him unconscious in the hospital made her want to cry.

"Yeah." He says proudly. "I am trying to work on my third. Someday I hope to be able to use all five types like Kakashi-sensei. After seeing how the rasenbomb worked I have been thinking about trying to learn earth transformation next and infuse sand into the attack to add even more mass. How about you Hinata? Have you done any work yet on your nature affinity?"

She feels a little self-conscious as most of the eyes in the room look towards her and waits for her answer. "N-n-no, n-not yet. Kurenai-sensei did not work with us on that during our time on her team." Her old sensei had been a genjutsu expert and had worked with them to recognize and block such attacks along with expanding their sensory capabilities, but the training had not gone into nature affinity before the war broke out.

"I am not an expert, but if you ever want to train together I can try and help you work on your nature affinity."

Her fingers touch together in the old gesture when she was nervous as she thinks about the two of them spending time together training. "I-I-I would like that very much."

"What about me? I want to work on my nature affinity too." Hanabi pipes in excited about learning something new and spending time with this amazing boy she has met.

He smiles at the eager look in the girl's face thinking about how he was at that age when the chance to learn a new jutsu was possible. "You are going to be in the spring chunin exams right?" After she nods he continues. "If it is okay with your father and your sensei after you become a chunin I will work with you in figuring out your nature affinity."

Hanabi looks down the table with an excited face towards her father. "We can talk after the chunin exams, so I suggest that you focus more on your studies till then." She was just happy that her father did not say no and made a mental note to start early with the exercises that Neji had taught her years ago.

"I wonder what your affinity might be Hinata? With your byakugan the possibilities are amazing. Combining fire affinity with your attacks would make a devastating taijutsu attack. Or earth affinity combined with your defensive abilities would make you a really tough opponent. Wow, we could talk for hours about the possibilities, but I guess it would be best to figure it out and work hard." As he mentions the affinities other members of Hyuga clan that are within earshot and use those nature affinities nod in pride at his praise. Those watching and listening carefully heard no deception or attempt at flattery just another ninja's honest assessment of her potential.

Finally noticing that Hinata was being her shy self again and trying to not look down the table he finally noticed that he was the only person talking. He turned away from the two girls and looked down the table with a nervous smile especially towards Lord Hyuga himself. "I am sorry; I guess I was talking too loud. I apologize if I have been a distraction to your dinner party." He bows and hopes that he properly said the words Shizune made him memorize just in case this very thing happened.

Hinata also looks down the table at her father trying not to look like she was pleading for him to not be angry, but her desperate plea was written so clearly on her face.

He saw the look, but allowed no emotion of his mental state to show through. "It is quiet alright Uzumaki Naruto, we are a clan of shinobi and we do like to hear tales of others exploits, so be at ease." His eyes look towards his daughter as if to say, 'This is my gift to you my daughter, I will be a gracious host to this boy you seem to hold so dear, for tonight at least.' He turns and looks at all of those gathered. "I do believe though that the time is getting late so maybe we should exchange our gifts."

Everyone stands, retrieves the gifts they brought and begin exchanging with the other family members. Hinata, saving Naruto's for last, opens her gifts thanking each person for their generous gift. Finally all the gifts, each of them a small token of loyalty, were opened and Hinata reached over handed a package to Naruto and then picked up his gift for her. "Please open your gift first. I really hope you like what I got for you."

Naruto, whose throat had suddenly gone dry, swallowed hard and took the package gingerly. 'Wow, my first gift from a girl and it's from Hinata.' Wanting to savor the moment he slowly unwraps the gift and opens the box. "Wow Hinata these are amazing." He holds up one of the kunai and examines it carefully looking at the craftsmanship and balance. "I can't think of a better word than amazing Hinata, thank you." He gives her a smile and has to fight back the tears that are beginning to cloud his vision. "I really hope you like the gift that I got for you." He is nearly overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude at just being allowed to be part of a family's celebration and then to be given something obviously expensive by the craftsmanship of these kunai.

"I know I will Naruto-kun, but first let me tell you something about those kunai. They are made from a special material that absorbs the wielder's chakra and can transfer that stored chakra into their attacks, just like chakra blades Sarutobi Asuma used." She nearly begins to cry herself as he looks down at the kunai again and a tear drops down into the box. Not wanting to embarrass him she starts opening his gift and her breath catches in her throat as she lifts the lid and looks inside.

Hanabi leans over and looks into the box. "Wow, nice choice."

Hinata stands up and lifts the garment out of the box allowing it to unfold completely. Holding the komon style kimono up against her body she looks down and admires the dark blue material. The garment is decorated with an alternating pattern of purple and red flowers. Hinata cannot help but to twirl around with the garment and giggle happily. She stops when her sister comes up and touches the kimono to admire its beauty and quality. She could not contain the excitement she felt at holding a gift from Naruto, but he could have given her coupons to eat ramen and she would have been happy. The gift was amazing and really showed that he had cared for her enough to put some real effort into the gift. It must have cost him most of his savings to buy something like this kimono.

Hearing her laughter Naruto discreetly wipes the moisture from his eyes before looking up at Hinata. He knew when he saw her twirling there with such a beautiful smile, with the kimono he bought, that the image would be burned into his soul forever. In all the time he had known her he could not remember ever seeing her smile like she was doing now and deep inside a part of him wanted that smile to never fade.

At the other end of the room another man was thinking the same thing about the smiling girl. Hiashi was watching his daughter dancing about with her gift and his mind was thrown back many years ago to a time when Hinata's mother danced about after she told him the news of her pregnancy. On that night he smiled and vowed to try and always make her happy like she was at that moment. Had she been here tonight he was sure that his wife would have been right up there with his daughters admiring the kimono.

Naruto stands as she comes over to him. "Naruto-kun, this is so beautiful, thank you so much for my gift." She wraps her arms around the boy and gives him a hug before she realizes what she is doing. Time seems to stand still for them both as their minds slowly register the sudden physical contact and whose body they had within their arms. At first Naruto held his arms open in surprise at the unexpected contact but instinct takes over and his arms wrap around her small frame drawing her closer. The embrace brings her head close to his face so he closes his eyes, inhales and is rewarded with the sweet smell of flowers.

So excited with happiness, Hinata had done what is natural and gave the source of such happiness a hug and with any other person this embrace would have been the most innocent of things, but with him an embrace of any kind meant so much more. As she feels his arms encircle her frame the first thing she notices is the warmth that radiates from his body and how comforting that sensation feels. His warmth feels like it penetrates all the way to the core of her body. A familiar feeling of falling starts to overwhelm her, but she reaches out and digs her fingernails into her arm. The sharp pain jolts her senses and overrides her body's usual reaction to pass out.

As he stands there holding Hinata the memory of the only other time he ever held a girl like this comes unbidden to his mind. It had been before the war and he, Kakashi and Yamato had been tracking Sasuke and ended up in the Land of Snow at the time of the Five Kage Summit and She had come to him and lied. Why could he still not even think her name without flinching? She had hugged him and lied to him that she was no longer in love with Sasuke and was in love with him instead. It had been a lie and he knew it then and tried to ignore how much it hurt to hear that lie come from her lips and had just thrown himself deeper into his promise. Not too much later he stopped Sasuke from killing her and still she forgave Sasuke and now seemed to love him even more. Naruto had hoped that just hearing her say those three words just once, even as a lie, would have been enough to sooth the desire in his heart but he had been wrong.

Hinata could feel a sudden tension in his body and leans back nervously to see what has suddenly broke the warmth she was feeling. She looked up into his eyes and thought she could see the same sadness that had been consuming him, but it was suddenly gone and his lips began to move ever so slightly. Seeing him freeze like this brought back memories of his breakdown from last night and the fear of that happening in front of the entire clan brought tears to her eyes as she began to nudge him and gently call his name.

Naruto has been drawn deep into himself where Kurama resides and the Nine-Tailed Fox was standing in front of him his hackles raised in irritation. 'DAMMIT BOY, IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS SULKING ABOUT WHAT IS THE PAST I AM GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE. YOU HAVE SOMEONE IN YOUR ARMS THAT HAS NEVER LIED TO YOU AND HAS EVEN PROFESSED HER LOVE FOR YOU IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE VILLAGE. STOP ACTING LIKE A BRAT AND BE A MAN.' The intensity of Kurama's irritation jolts Naruto and for a moment he stands there looking at his friend in shock.

'Not you too, I know that she said she loves me, but we both know why I could not act on her confession after Pain's attack was over. I could not lie to her and tell her that what she had said meant nothing, because knowing how she felt meant so much to me but if I had acted on that and allowed myself to love her back she would have been in danger. Hinata was not on my team so I could not protect her like I could… you know, and with her sensei out of action due to a pregnancy she was vulnerable. Kiba and Shino are like brothers but they are too weak to protect Hinata from the people who were after me and would have used her to get to me. I could not allow something like that to happen to Hinata so I pushed my feelings deep inside to protect the knowledge from being found by anyone. Now that it has been so long, and I acted like I never heard what she said, I don't know if she still feels that way about me and I don't know if I am strong enough to try and open my heart again.' Even to himself the excuse sounds pathetic.

'HAVE YOU EVEN TRIED YOU LITTLE COWARD?'

'But what if once she gets to know me, not the guy I let everyone see but the real me, and does not like the insecure little kid hiding deep inside? She might decide to move on and that would break my heart so much more.' His voice sounds week and childish in his mind. 'It happened to me before and I don't know if I could stand being rejected by someone like Hinata.'

'YOU MOVE ON TILL YOU FIND THE RIGHT MATE, IT IS NOT THAT HARD REALLY. MY PREVIOUS HOSTS ALL HAD HAPPY, BUT TUMULTUOUS RELATIONSHIPS. YOU MORTALS HAVE SHORT LIVES AND SPEND TOO MUCH TIME CONCERNED WITH THE SMALL DETAILS AND FORGETTING TO ENJOY WHO YOU ARE WITH IN THE NOW. UNTIL RECENTLY YOU AND KILLER BEE SEEMED TO BE THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE NORM, BUT YOU HAVE BECOME LIKE THE REST OF YOUR KIND. BESIDES IN ALL THE TIME SHE HAS BEEN WATCHING YOU DON'T YOU THINK SHE HAS SEEN THAT PART OF YOU BY NOW.' Kurama's voice changes to a more jovial tone. 'BY THE WAY YOU MIGHT WANT TO WAKE UP; SHE IS STARING AT YOU ALL CONCERNED.'

He blinks his eyes and as the real world comes into focus he can see Hinata shaking him gently and calling out his name with tears forming in her eyes. As he looks about and his other senses start working he could see other members of the Hyuga clan looking in their direction. "I'm okay, Kurama was being a jerk and had some comments."

"So is everything okay with you and the Kyubi?" She could not hide the real concern she was feeling.

He smiles and rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, we are friends now and we talk quite often and he just likes to make a comment or remind me of things I am forgetting. Before I came over tonight I asked him to give me a good hard poke if I started to forget anything important and I nearly had forgotten something." He starts trying to think of anything to get himself out of this without telling Hinata what he and Kurama were really discussing. He pats his shirt and remembers something that might just do the trick.

"What sort of comment was he making?" She really hoped the Kyubi was not making fun of their embrace.

"I forgot in all the excitement of the dinner that I had also gotten you a birthday present and he was reminding me not to forget something so important." He reaches out a box the size of his fist. "It is coming up in a few days, right?"

Somehow she managed to smile and blush at the same time. "Yes, it is in a few days, but tonight was also supposed to be a birthday party for me as well." At hearing him mention that he knew her birthday was coming soon she wanted to just dance around the room again, but was just too shy to allow herself another public display of joy. Staring at the small box her mind began to wonder what could be inside.

"Wow that looks like a jewelry box and it's about the right size for a ring." Hanabi comments as she stares at the box.

Remembering the engagement ring he nearly purchased this morning Naruto's face goes red.

Seeing him go bright red, and the look of fear in his big blue eyes at the mention of a ring, Hinata's jaw drops and her trembling hands cover her open mouth.

"It's not a ring, okay." Naruto turns to Hanabi and speaks with a nervous squeak in his voice. Seeing the young girl jump at his pronouncement he bows his head. "I am sorry Hanabi."

"It's okay; I should have just kept my mouth shut since it is not my birthday present." She backs away and lets things unfold without her interference, but not so far that she could not get a good look at the present.

With the shock over, and a little disappointment setting in, Hinata looks at Naruto with a gentle smile. "Since it is not officially my birthday yet why don't you give it to me in a few days when it is properly my birthday?" Hinata was thinking that this would be a perfect way for them to have some real alone time like last night. 'We could call it a date, couldn't we?' She wanted to say but the words just failed to come out of her mouth.

"That sounds like a good idea." The request sounded reasonable since it really was not her birthday yet and it would give him an excuse to see her again. "When would you like to meet so I can give you the present?"

Bringing her index fingers up into her normal display of nervousness she decides to be bold and hope he says yes to her request. She is also hoping that she will not faint before she hears his answer. "Could we meet for dinner? I could wear the new kimono you gave me tonight."

"That is a great idea Hinata I think that you will look really nice wearing that to dinner. Since ramen can be a little messy, why don't you think about where you would like to eat for your birthday and that is where we will go for dinner."

Unable to say anything at the moment she just nods. That is the moment when they both looked around and noticed that the servants had nearly finished clearing the tables and many of the clan members had begun to leave. That is of course except for one clan leader that had been watching most of what had transpired out of the corner of his eye while discussing other business matters with various members of the clan.

Naruto looks back to Hinata and smirks. "I guess it is time for me to go home." He holds up the box with the kunai she gave him. "I really want to thank you for the gift, these are awesome and I can't wait to try them out."

"I feel the same way about the kimono. Would you mind if I walk you to the main gate?" After he agrees the two of them exit the main building and slowly make their way towards the gate. As the gate comes within sight the wind speed increases and the biting winter wind sends a chill through their bodies.

"We should have gotten you a coat before we stepped outside." He puts an arm around her to donate some of his warmth to her and this time the memory that threatens to arise again is easily pushed away.

She snuggles into his embrace the last few meters to the gate and knocks to let the guards know that their guest is leaving. The two of them share a quick 'see you later' and he makes his way home in the lightly snowing night. Little did he know that she stood in the cold of the night and watched him with her Byakugan till he was safely at the door to his home before she went to the comfort of her own room and danced happily around the room wearing her new kimono.


	5. The next day and plans for the future

**A/N: This chapter and maybe the next will be setting things up for where I ultimately plan for the story to go and I felt there were details here that were important enough to my story, to be told. I thought about doing several summary paragraphs instead and then leap the story along several months, but when I wrote them out it felt so much like a cop out. Also, I had to leave a lot of my notes I had written down cut out in a separate document and that was depressing. So, for better or for worse instead of a one or two page summary I present you with a full chapter. **

**Finally, I am not one of those authors that needs lots of reviews to make them happy, so if you do decide to review I ask that you be understanding that this story is my first attempt to write anything on such a scale.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. **

It was well past breakfast by the time Naruto was fully awake and out of bed. After getting home the night before he sat down and thought about what he had seen and done at the Holiday Dinner in the Hyuga family compound and the emotions, some old and some new, that all of it had stirred within his soul. Seeing the normally reserved clan be so animated and free with their emotions was so strange and wonderful. In the end he had been in awe of the feeling of closeness and family that he had felt being shared in the room. People who had been together their whole lives and had seen each other nearly every day and knew so much about each other that a whole conversation could be said with only a few words and a glance. Sadness of what he had missed his whole life by being an orphan had tried to intrude on his thoughts, but like so many times before in his life he pushed those emotions deep inside and tried to focus on the present.

He had went out on the balcony and stared up into the chilly night sky and thought about the gift exchange and how people's eyes lit up when they received their gifts. His thoughts focused on one person in particular and how he had never seen her so happy and vibrant before in all the time they had known each other. The sight of seeing her twirl about with that beautiful smile, yeah beautiful was the only way to describe the smile she had as she twirled around with the kimono, it made him feel so warm inside. It was a happy feeling, but happy just didn't quite describe the feeling of warmth in his heart when he saw her smiling. He felt it again, but more intensely when she had come and given him a hug. Could that feeling have been love? He had loved someone else his entire life and his chest didn't ache like that when they had embraced that one time or on those few occasions when they had sat and talked so closely together about what they wanted to do with their futures. That had been a different feeling and if that had been what love felt like, then what was the feeling he had with Hinata last night and still felt when he thought about the special smile she had given him just before they embraced. It had been this confusion that had kept him staring up in the sky and later at the ceiling of his bedroom late into the night rubbing the strange ache he was feeling in his chest.

Now the room was fully bathed in light and he was looking at the ceiling of his small apartment again thinking about how good it had felt to be a part of something for a change and not an outsider peeking through the window. He looked at the box with the kunai and smiled thinking about the gift and especially the giver. It was those blades that finally motivated him to get up and start the day. He decided that he might go to one of the training fields and start training with the blades to see what he could do with his different chakra natures infused in the blades. He would definitely have to be careful when he tried to infuse Kurama's chakra into a blade because there was no telling what damage it might be capable of or if the blades could even handle that much chakra.

He had to eat instant breakfast ramen today and most likely would be for a while after spending nearly everything he had on clothes and the gifts. Not that he would ever begrudge a little discomfort after seeing Hinata's smile, so missing out on eating Ichiraku's ramen would really be a small price to pay in the end. While sitting there eating his breakfast, he looked over at the scroll that states he is the heir to his master's book royalties. It might be worth checking out and hopefully those sleazy books might have earned enough money that he could afford a few meals at Ichiraku's, at least until the Hokage let him go out on missions again. So he got cleaned up and headed out to see what his old master had left him in the will.

A little while later he is sitting impatiently at the desk of the bank manager, Naruto looked about the building checking out the people and the decorations. Being young and never having any more money than would fit into his froggy the concept of leaving money with somebody else was hard to imagine, but it was something that now he was becoming older he would have to learn about.

The manager had looked at the scroll and then at Naruto critically and had gone off somewhere to confirm the signatures and pull up the account. He now came back with a much more polite look on his face and offered the boy a handshake. "Everything checks out and we would love to continue holding the balance of the account for you."

"Could I just have the money now?" He was thinking that he could use the money to maybe refill his froggy and treat himself to a nice lunch if there was enough left over.

The manager went pale at the boy's request. "Well, it is your money, but it would take me a little while to collect sufficient funds to give it all to you at once."

"You are a bank, don't you have the money here?" Naruto was starting to get confused by the man's actions and was starting to wonder if they had not taken some of the money for themselves when they heard that the Pervy Sage had died.

"Well yes we do but withdraws of this size are not common." He pushes over a piece of paper with a fairly large number written on it and smiles nervously. "He is still getting deposits from the publisher of his books and they need somewhere to be deposited, so maybe you would like to just take a portion out now and come back for more at a later date?"

Naruto was stuck between shock and anger so he just nodded at the manager's suggestion. The shock was that there were so many people out there that liked to read his old master's perverted writings. He had tried reading one of those books before and stopped reading halfway through because some of that stuff just made him blush so badly that his head spun. By the amount in the account there were a lot of perverted people out there.

He tried to control his anger when he thought about all those times the old pervert had pleaded poverty and he had been forced to pay the bills for them both at hot springs, hotels, meals and so much sake. The man had been loaded and acted like he had really dug deep to buy a birthday ramen, and had made him stop at five bowls. He could have bought the whole ramen stand and not even blinked at the cost by what was in this account.

"Sir is everything okay?" The bank manager's voice broke him out of his thoughts of the old pervert. He looked down to see that he had nearly ripped off the armrest of the chair in which he was sitting.

"Yeah, sorry I am a little overwhelmed at the moment. I think that your idea is best at this point in time, so how about I take a couple of hundred and leave the rest here for you to hold and receive any future deposits?"

After a little paperwork Naruto leaves the bank with a full froggy wallet and makes his way towards Ichiraku's thinking about the feast he will soon be having. As he was about to enter his favorite place to eat ramen a man walks towards him and hands him a small scroll. "I was told you were not a hard person to find, but I have been looking for you all morning. Finally, I was told if I would wait here that you would eventually show up and they were right I guess."

He looks at the scroll with what may be the Hokage's signature written on the side and then at the young man in confusion. "What is this all about?"

The messenger bows nervously before continuing. "You are to go meet with the Hokage at 2PM sharp. You are not to be early or late but to show up exactly at the time appointed and to not open the scroll till you are in the meeting." He bows again and runs off saying that he is late for his other deliveries.

After the messenger leaves Naruto goes inside and orders his first bowl of ramen before examining the scroll. Above the Hokage's signature is a short message that reads, "Do not open till you are with the Hokage." The handwriting is familiar and could be granny Tsunade's or even Shizune's, but he could not be sure. He sets the scroll down and stares at the thing wondering what was inside and why she would want him to wait and open the scroll in front her since she already knew what was inside. By the third bowl the curiosity was starting to get to him because maybe she wanted him to learn the new jutsu contained inside or maybe she was ready to recognize his true potential and it was the official offer for him to become the next Hokage.

Halfway through the fourth bowl his thoughts turned darker and he started thinking about the strange messenger that delivered the scroll. He did not recognize the guy and wondered if the scroll could contain something potentially harmful. It would be best if he checked out the scroll first before potentially exposing the Hokage to danger. He was about to open it right there before Ichiraku disturbed his thoughts by asking him if he wanted another bowl. He declined, paid for his meal and began to make his way to the old Team 7 training grounds.

He summoned a couple shadow clones and had them take the scroll to a clearing while he hid behind a large tree a good distance away. The clones opened the scroll and nothing happened for a moment so he looked around the tree just in time to see them drop the scroll and start running before there was a loud boom and the clearing was now a bright green color. The clones were dispersed by the explosion and the memory from the clones told him that written inside scroll was 'Baka, I told you not to open this scroll.' There was also a seal inside that began to glow before it exploded.

He walked over to the scroll and felt his shoes stick to the still wet paint and gently picked up the now green scroll getting paint all over his hand. "What the heck was this all about?" Determined to find out what, he made his way to the Hokage Tower and without thinking about why he had been avoiding the front door lately he walked through and made his way upstairs. He entered her office without even knocking and did not even notice that she was currently talking to two other shinobi.

The Hokage gives the boy a critical look and seeing the perturbed look on his face decides to launch the first assault. "It seems that you still cannot follow a simple order Naruto and by the looks of your hand and shoes I can see that telling time is not your only problem."

An exasperated looking Shikamaru and nervous looking Hinata step back out of the direct line between the obviously angry Naruto and the Hokage.

"What the heck were you trying to prove with this crap granny?" Naruto holds up a green fist clenching a green scroll.

Lady Tsunade crosses her arms defiantly and gives the boy a smug look. "Is it not obvious? I was trying to see if you have learned anything over the last few years, especially if you were able to follow just the simplest of orders from your Hokage." She slams both palms down on the desk and snarls at the agitated shinobi. "The green paint on your hand and shoes answers that question."

Naruto points an accusing green finger back at her. "Now just wait a minute. A strange nervous looking man that I have never met before hands me a scroll and told me that I am not to open it up unless you are around. The whole thing sounded fishy to me and so I opened it up to check what was inside."

Straightening back up the Hokage's eyes narrow, but the sneer is still plastered to her face. "Would you like to explain a little more on just why you thought it was necessary to look inside the scroll?"

He throws his hands up and starts pacing around the room. "Well isn't it obvious? What if that guy wanted to hurt you and was trying to use me to deliver a paper bomb hidden inside the scroll? I could have gotten both of us killed if that had been the case." He turns and points at her again. "Also, If that had been a joke scroll from somebody else and I had opened it up and got paint all over you and the office you would have most likely beaten me to death, so either way I would have been killed." Tsunade smirking and nodding in agreement with his last statement did not improve his mood.

"Would you mind telling where you opened up the scroll?"

He started pacing back and forth in front of her desk in agitation. "I took it out to the training grounds and used shadow clones to open it up so if it was a bomb then nobody would get hurt." He turned back to Tsunade ready for another round of arguments but was baffled by the sight of her standing there with her hands on her hips smiling at him proudly.

"Good job. You nearly got a perfect score on your first test." She begins to chuckle at the sight of him standing there with his mouth agape in confusion.

"Test, your test nearly caused me to repaint Ichiraku's." He reaches up and tugs at his blonde hair in frustration. "You made me so mad that my head hurts, for a test?"

He shakes his fist at the Hokage. "You had that delivered to Ichiraku's on purpose. If I had opened that there I could have destroyed my favorite place to eat or even been banned for life because of the paint job. Sometimes you really piss me off old lady."

Tsunade smirks at the angry boy. "You eat too much ramen anyways and it would have served you right for being stupid."

He points at her accusingly. "You honestly would destroy my favorite place to eat just to make a point."

She leans back in her chair with a satisfied smile. "Don't tempt me Naruto, you don't want to find out just how far I am willing to go to make a point."

His next tirade is checked when he sees Shikamaru with one hand covering his face as if he too had a headache and Hinata who has her hands over her mouth in shock at seeing him so angry. Seeing Hinata looking at him like that cools his anger somewhat and he turns back to the Hokage and asks in a much calmer tone, "What do you mean I nearly passed?"

Seeing that his anger has begun to cool, Lady Tsunade smiles as she takes her seat and calmly begins to speak. "If you were so concerned that the scroll might be a trap why did you not take it to the security force or even the ANBU for examination?"

"Simple, those ANBU guys seriously creep me out. I had a few encounters with security force when I was younger and had some of them drag me up here to the Third more than once, so I try to avoid encountering them when at all possible.."

She nods as if she had similar feelings towards the ANBU group but would not say them out loud. "Finally, what if that paint had contained a poison or biological agent? You could have gotten yourself killed or even worse, had spread something deadly over a good portion of the village on your way here to my office when you picked it up with your bare hands."

He was temporarily stunned at the thought that he could have easily done what she had just suggested, which took the last of the anger from his spirit and he looked down. "I guess I wasn't thinking about that possibility? I just got mad when I thought that you had played a trick on me and wanted to know why you would do that to me, okay?"

Her heart softens at seeing him so sorrowful for what he might have done. "It's okay and you did well on a test that you had no idea was coming. You keep saying that you want to become the next Hokage, but being a skilled shinobi is not enough to do the job right and lead the people of this village the way they deserve. Trust me when I say that if you ever sit behind this desk you will pray every day that nothing ever happens to the village that would require you to fight, because then that means a truly powerful threat has come knocking on our gates. Since becoming Hokage I have had to fight twice and one of them nearly destroyed the entire village and the other the world itself and I was not strong enough to stop either one of them by myself." She points to the other two shinobi in the room. "I have assigned Shikamaru and Hinata to help you in your training to see if you really have what it takes to sit behind this desk. I can honestly say that before you are done that you are either going to thank me for this or curse yourself for ever wanting to become Hokage. Most likely it will be both before you are through with this training.

Naruto turns and looks at the two friends and smiles broadly.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes at seeing the blonde shinobi give that big grin and thinks about how much work they all have in store for the next few months, maybe years. The Hokage has made this a B-rank mission so that they will all be getting paid while he and Hinata try and mold this powerful shinobi into someone capable of being the next leader of the entire village. He remembers watching the reanimated First and Second Hokages during the War and how much the First Hokage had reminded him of Naruto and that it had been the younger brother, the Second Hokage, who had been the more practical minded of the two and most likely been the real reason the village had been so successful in those early years. As he had watched those two he knew that if Naruto were ever to ascend to the position of Hokage he too would have need of practical guidance and now that troublesome revelation has come back to bite him in the ass. He should have never mentioned what he saw to the Hokage.

Hinata for her part was a bundle of emotions at the moment and could not seem to hold on to any one of them for very long. She was proud of Naruto for taking the next step to his goal and happy that she could be of some help. She was nervous that she might not be up to the job and was scared that if she failed that he might fail too. The excitement that they would be spending a lot more time together was thrilling, but what if he got sick of being around her so much studying all of the time, and then later when he became Hokage he did not want to see her anymore. She just took a deep breath and thought about what she and the Hokage had talked about earlier before Shikamaru and Naruto-kun had arrived.

FLASHBACK

As she had been finishing breakfast a messenger from the Hokage had arrived with a summons to meet in her office at 11:00 in the morning. The fear that she would be sent on a mission that would take her away from the village before her birthday dinner with Naruto swept over her and she nearly dropped her tea as she read the message. Hinata dressed for an audience with the village leader and left with a heavy heart, tears threatening to fall at any moment. It seemed like the two of them were doomed to never be together because every time something good would happen to bring them closer something else would arise to pull them apart. She had hoped that when her only rival Sakura had chosen Sasuke and they had become an official couple that her chance had finally arrived. Unfortunately Naruto had run away from the heartache and they were separated even more than before.

She reached the Hokage's office and at the appointed time she knocked and went inside. The Hokage was seated behind her desk and gave her a friendly smile as she entered. "Please have a seat Hinata there are things the two of us need to discuss." The Hokage had gestured to a pair of chairs beside a table that Hinata could not remember ever seeing before and she took a seat. Strangely on the table was a tea set for two along with some small bite-sized cakes.

Lady Tsunade took the other chair and poured them both a cup of tea. "I think that it is time that the two of us have a private chat about a certain young man."

Panic immediately rose up in her heart. Had her father contacted the Hokage about last night and asked her to intervene? Was that why he was so quiet this morning at breakfast? Was the Hokage about to order her to stop seeing Naruto because he had become too dangerous and unpredictable lately for her own safety? She wanted to run away before those words were uttered so she would not have to defy an order and bring shame on her clan's honor. Her eyes quickly looked about the room trying to decide if she could make it out the door before the Hokage could stop her from fleeing.

Seeing the girl's sudden panic Lady Tsunade reached out her free hand and gently placed it upon Hinata's to try and sooth her trembling hands. "It's okay, I believe that you and I both want the same thing. We both want him to be safe and happy." Seeing Hinata nod ever so slightly, she smiled and continued to talk in a calm voice. "I know that you have had feelings for him for a long time and I have been watching you during the council meetings. I have seen the concern on your face as the reports have come back about Naruto's descent into depression and that his disregard for his own safety has gotten to a nearly suicidal level. I will not lie to you, those same reports have kept me from a good night's rest for a while now and I truly want to see the happy gleam I saw in the eyes of the boy I met so many years ago return."

Hinata just listens quietly to the Hokage trying not to let her emotions gain control or she knows that she will be unable to stop the flow of tears. She had hoped that by sitting in the back and keeping her head down that no one would have noticed the pain she felt when each report came back from teammates about his actions during their missions. "The report you gave us in the council meeting did not tell the full extent of the injuries that he and the Kazekage had sustained in the training exercise."

Lady Tsunade caught as she was for not disclosing the full details looked away for a moment. "I thought it was best that certain members of the council did not know the full details of what had happened or that he had come close to killing himself and the Kazekage." She looked back at Hinata concern written clearly on her beautiful face. "He has lost his way Hinata and I know you can see it as well. I want him to remember that he used to want to become the next Hokage and to stop trying to run from his past. I can't do it alone and that is why I have asked you to come here and talk with me today because I think he will listen to you Hinata. He may be the most powerful shinobi alive today and he is without a doubt the most well-known, but jutsus alone will not help him lead this village. He needs to learn to use diplomacy and at times to have patience among other things. Your upbringing as the next heir of the Hyuga clan included such training." She leans closer to Hinata and the look in her eye was less of a leader concerned for a soldier and more like a parent worried for a child. "I won't order you to do this Hinata, but..."

"But I want to help!" Her voice had come out in a sudden burst. She bowed her head in shame for interrupting the Hokage in such a rude manner and her voice lowered to nearly a whisper. "I mean that I would love to help… him." She looked up with an expression of near desperation. "You did not see him the other night in the park. We had won a snowball fight with Konohamaru and a bunch of genin and he started laughing so hard he cried, but it was like a dam gave way and all the emotions he had been holding inside came pouring out. I really don't know how long he had been building that emotional wall, maybe since Jiraiya's death, Sasuke's leaving, all the way back to his childhood, or something more recent was causing his pain." The thought of recent events being the cause of his pain stung Hinata in the heart and made a very tiny part of herself to think about finding that source of his pain and tear out her pretty pink hair.

"Seeing him fall apart like he did made my heart ache till I thought I was going to start crying too, but I was strong for him and comforted him till he fell asleep on my lap." Tears had flowed down her cheeks as she remembered seeing him curled up and weeping. "I wanted to do more, but I just didn't know what else to do to help."

Tsunade had leaned over and wrapped her arms around the girl and let her cry while she rubbed her back and said soothing words while tears of her own rolled down her cheeks. As their tears slowed and the sobbing eased she had changed the subject to hopefully a happier topic. "I heard a rumor that the Hyuga clan had a special guest last night for dinner." When Hinata had leaned back the sadness on her face had been replaced with a shy smile. "I would love to hear about how things went Hinata and if you got any special gifts." She does not bother to mention that she had already read the report from Shizune about what Naruto had purchased and all of the pointers she had given him on proper etiquette. Now was the time to see just how serious Naruto had taken those lessons.

Hinata told Tsunade about the previous night's meal and everything that had happen till he had left for home. "I really think that father was impressed with how Naruto handled himself last night. This morning at breakfast, while he did not say anything kindly about Naruto, he did not make any negative comments either. He just asked if I had enjoyed myself and wanted to know if there was anything that I would like for my birthday. He has not asked me about my birthday like that since mother died and my training began. To be honest when you called me in here I thought that he had not said anything to me this morning because he had decided to ask you to act officially to keep us apart. I can see now that we have talked that I was just being stupid and irrational."

Tsunade smiled at the news that everything seemed to have went so well at the party. "I think that you are the reason he tried so hard last night to make a good impression." She held up a hand to stop the girl's protest. "I have known both of you for a number of years now, and I have noticed that when he would be acting all loud and obnoxious over some issue that if you happen to come by he would calm down, if only a little sometimes, when anyone else would have to use threats to get him to shut up." What she does not say out loud to the young kunoichi is that she has also noticed over the years that after contact with him that Hinata would become a little more assertive and confident, if only for a little while.

Hinata's reply was cut short by a knocking on the Hokage's door.

Tsunade reached over and patted Hinata's hand affectionately. "That would be Shikamaru arriving right on time." She stood and looked down at the young woman. "I know that you grew up without a mother and from time to time you have probably had questions or needed some motherly advice. I never had children of my own but I have had my own share of life experiences so if you ever need someone to talk with please feel free to come by and I promise that I will make time."

Hinata thanked the Hokage for her offer and stood up to greet Shikamaru when he entered the office.

Once he entered Lady Tsunade explained his new assignment and that he would be working with Hinata to get Naruto better prepared to be Hokage candidate, if that was to be his destiny. She would be letting him go back on missions soon and when Naruto is home his time would be filled with various training programs. She assured them that he would not get her nomination for the position unless she felt that he was worthy to take up that role. It was shortly after that declaration that Naruto burst into the office.

END FLASHBACK

Hinata must have blanked out while she was thinking back on her talk with the Hokage because she blinked and then suddenly Naruto was standing inches away. He was waving his hand back and forth and calling out her name.

"Hey Hinata are you okay? You've been standing there a while and have not moved or said anything." She blushes in embarrassment and from him being so close. The crimson goes a whole new shade of red as he places one of his strong hands against her face. "You are not getting sick from going outside last night without a coat on are you Hinata?" The boy's concern for her health was obvious. "I'm sorry, we should have gone back and got you a coat before you walked me to the gate."

She reaches up and gently touches his hand, wanting to grab ahold and crush it into her flesh and never let go, and gives him a gentle smile while trying to focus on not fainting in front of him and the Hokage. "I am okay, I was just thinking about all of the work we have ahead of us to get you ready to become the next Hokage."

Shikamaru steps up to the couple with a bored expression and points towards the open door. "I think that we have taken up enough of the Hokage's time and can discuss what we will be doing outside."

"To be honest I think that I would rather go with all of you, but Shizune would just follow me around with a stack of papers until I read and signed each one." The Hokage points at Naruto and then at the large pile of paperwork sitting on her desk. "This is what your reward will be if you become Hokage, an endless pile of paperwork that seems to multiply by itself every time you look away. I swear that sometimes out of the corner of my eye I can see the stack growing. You should really ask yourself Naruto is this the life you really want?"

Naruto smiles and gives her a thumbs up. "Don't worry Baa-chan nothing is going to stop me from becoming the next Hokage." He turns and struts proudly out of the room. Hinata gives the Hokage a bow and a smile that says 'I will not fail.'

Lady Tsunade just smiles and shakes her head. "I really don't think that boy listens to a word I say sometimes. Shikamaru, will you stay for a moment?"

Naruto turns back to Shikamaru, the proud smile still on his face. "Go ahead we will be on the roof when you are done."

The dark-haired boys normally bored expression changes to one of confusion, but instead of voicing his question he just shakes his head and closes the door.

Hinata, confused as well at his choice of the meeting location, asks the obvious question. "Why are we meeting on the roof?"

He turns but the smile he was wearing has changed ever so slightly. "The three of us have a lot to talk about, because I want to get started as soon as possible so I can beat my dad's record of being the youngest Hokage." Part of the reason was that he wanted to avoid waiting in the lobby, just in case a certain person might come over with reports from the hospital, but the main reason was a surprise for Hinata.

"But why the roof?" She can tell that he is trying to avoid answering her question.

"The view of the village up there is great, and because it is private we can just hang out till he is done without being bothered." He heads towards the stairwell and looks back with an eager smile that makes her blush.

Neither of them are prepared for what they see when the door to the roof is opened. There before them is Shizune in a passionate embrace with Kakashi the copy ninja and by the disheveled look of their clothing the two of them had been enjoying each other's company for a while. His vest was discarded on the floor and his face is buried in her neck while she is working diligently at trying to finish removing his shirt.

Whether it was the sound of the door creaking open, Hinata's little 'eep' of surprise, or the loud gasp of surprise from Naruto that alerted the couple that they were no longer alone ultimately did not matter. The fear of being discovered by the Hokage was enough to break lust's spell and they quickly began adjusting their clothing.

"Oh Kami, I am so sorry we did not expect to find anyone up here, if I had known we would have went someplace else." Naruto began studying the suddenly interesting scratches on the doorframe while Hinata took interest in the strangely shaped crack on the floor. Naruto's gasp broke the silence as he pointed towards Kakashi realizing he had nearly seen something unprecedented. "Wait a minute, you had your mask down." He could not believe that he had missed the chance to find out the answer to one of the great mysteries of his youth. What does Kakashi-sensei look like without his mask?

His mask now in place Kakashi turns around while zipping up his jacket. "Well of course, Shizune prefers it when there is nothing between her flesh and my lips. Besides she has seen me with more than my mask removed." His one visible eye squints in victory at the obvious discomfort his admission has upon his former subordinate and the deep crimson on Hinata's face. He turns to smile at Shizune expecting to see her enjoying the youngster's discomfort as well, but sees instead that she is turning a shade of red that rivals Hinata's. "Ahh, what I meant to say was…"

Shizune places a hand upon his shoulder to stop him from saying anything else. "Please don't say anything else Kakashi." She turns to the blushing teenagers. "Can you tell me why you are up here on the Hokage's tower?" Mentally she was hoping that they were still too stunned to ask her the same thing.

Naruto nervously scratches the back of his head. "We just finished talking with the Hokage and we are waiting for her to finish talking with Shikamaru and I thought we would come up and enjoy the view." He reaches in this pocket and pulls out a couple of pieces of chakra paper. "I was also thinking of using the opportunity to work with Hinata on figuring out her nature affinity." He gives his old sensei a sheepish smile. "I know that after interrupting you guys this might seem a little forward, but since you are here and have a lot more experience at this sort of thing Kakashi would you mind helping Hinata with the affinity test?"

Kakashi does a sweat drop at the boldness of the request, but agrees to help anyways.

As Kakashi and Hinata walk over to a corner and begin talking Naruto walks over to Shizune. "First, I really am sorry Shizune. Second, I was going to come find you today anyways and thank you for all your help yesterday. I did my best to remember your advice and since I was not thrown out or was asked to leave I will call it a success. I could not have done it without you Shizune and if you ever need anything just ask."

She looks over at the infectiously happy shinobi. "How about you and Hinata never tell a soul what you saw here today and we will call things even?" He agrees to the deal and they both share a chuckle before she turns and looks at him with a curious smirk. "So how did she like the gifts you got her?"

"I gave her the Kimono and she seemed to have really liked it by the way she jumped up and twirled around with it before giving me a hug." His usual fox grin takes on a much softer smile as he thinks back to last night's embrace.

"What about the birthday gift you picked out? To be honest I was really surprised by what you picked and I can't think of a gift she would enjoy more." She leans forward eager to hear the news. "Tell me what she thought about her birthday gift?"

Caught off guard by Shizune's eagerness to hear about the gift he takes a nervous step back. "She asked me if I would wait and give it to her on her birthday and I said yes. Fortunately it is only a few days away so I don't have to wait long."

Shizune is about to say something when Hinata runs up all excited.

"Naruto-kun look, my nature affinity is water and Kakashi-sensei said that it was a strong response." She holds out the piece of paper that is nearly saturated with moisture with a proud smile.

He smiles as well, happy to see that her nature affinity is something that he has some experience with so that they can spend time together training. "That is so great Hinata. We can train together till you find somebody who can train you better in how to use water jutsu, and don't expect me to go easy on you either." He begins to explain how it feels to use water manipulation to Hinata.

Kakashi and Shizune take the chance to slip away quietly while the two young shinobi are distracted and pass Shikamaru along the way down.

Shikamaru decides that it is too much trouble to ask why they were just on the roof and keeps going. He finds Naruto excitedly describing to Hinata about how he uses his chakra to gather and manipulate water to form a ball. After a couple of tries Shikamaru gets their attention long enough to suggest they head to his place to discuss what sort of topics the Hokage suggested that they cover. Naruto and Hinata just nod and follow him to his home the whole time Naruto never stops talking to Hinata about water nature and all of the possibilities he thought she might be able to do with it in combination with her Gentle Fist technique.


End file.
